SCATTERBRAINED: With A Little Luck

By FRANCISCO E. JIMENEZ
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com

Francisco E. Jimenez

“Son of a… I have the worst luck,” I thought to myself upon realizing that I had locked my keys inside my truck. I had just arrived at a convenience store, during work hours, to buy a Red Bull Energy Drink (anything to keep me conscious). A sharp edge of panic sliced through my body at the realization that the only person with a spare key was my dad, who happened to be at home and was, himself, without the use of a vehicle since his car was getting serviced at the shop. I knew this because I had just given him a ride home.

“How could I be so stupid?” I thought to myself.

Then, a beacon of hope! I decided to call Managing Editor, and good friend, Michael Rodriguez to ask him for a ride to pick up the spare key. I’ll even buy him whatever he wants! Sure enough, he agreed to give me a ride.

After retrieving the key, he drove me back to the store and dropped me off at my truck. As I walked up to my truck and heard the low rumble of a V6 engine.

“What in the world? You gotta be freaking kidding me!”

Not only had I left my keys in the ignition, but I had also failed to turn off the vehicle. In other words, my truck was running for at least 20 minutes.

“I really do have the worst luck ever.”

The little fuel I had been vigorously trying to conserve until payday was mostly gone. I would have to use money I had been saving for other purposes to refuel my truck. To say that I was peeved is an understatement. Now, not only was I short of cash, but now with all the time I’d taken I would surely be behind on my work. I had an early deadline to meet, and all I did was take time away from achieving that goal.

I thought about how much my life sucks. How much stress I have to get as much information for the stories I am working on. The reality that I would not be able to meet my deadline, I would not be getting out early for Good Friday.

Good Friday was in danger of becoming Horrible Friday.

But soon I began to realize the irrationality of my complaints. Everyone has bad days now and then, but it’s the light at the end of the tunnel that keeps us going. It would keep me going. This weekend was going to kick a… er um, it was going to rule. While you are reading this column, I will probably be watching the Texas Rangers lay the smack down on the San Diego Padres. And I’ll probably be really drunk, too (okay, maybe not).

Easter Sunday will be spent with my family, some family members who I don’t see on a regular basis. Fajitas will be grilled, beers will go down the hatch, and eggs will be cracked. And it will be awesome. It is these thoughts that remind me of how blessed I am. How fortunate I am. How fortunate I am for my family, and friends who don’t hesitate to drop what they’re doing and give you a ride when you’re in need. That is what I’m going to reflect on during Easter.

I am so lucky.