Confession: Prangs & Pride
I don’t share everything that happens here on this blog, but there was a little incident while I was on leave and I feel like I’m keeping a secret by not telling you all! So, here’s the story. Well, part of it. It’s a long story* so I’ll just give you the important bits.
I parked my car in a shopping centre carpark and got out.
I decided to move the car back a little* so got back in.
I changed my mind while reversing and figured I should just get another park.
The door was still open.
I was parked beside a pole.
The door made a very loud crunching sound as it collided with said pole.
I’m not sure which was more crushed. My pride or the car door. Who reverses with the door open? I mean, really?! I’m a smart girl. Smart girls don’t do dumb things like that. I guess everyone does dumb things sometimes.
The door was so badly damaged that I couldn’t shut it, and therefore couldn’t drive the car. But I couldn’t leave it either, with the door wide open! To make things more complicated I had my 15mth old son with me. I really didn’t know what to do. I think I cried. I hardly ever cry. And then I rang my husband. I needed help.
My hubby wasn’t cross even a tiny bit. He excused himself from a meeting and drove to where we were. I had water and snacks in the nappy bag thankfully, so the wait in the car wasn’t too bad. It was only about 45 minutes before he arrived on his white horse in his white ute to rescue me. I was embarrassed and flustered, but he was so cool. He got the car out of the carpark (somehow!) and organised for it to be towed. He handled the insurance calls, and spoke to our smash repairer who happens to be a friend and could get things moving quickly for us. And all the time, he reassured me that it wasn’t a big deal. He even joked that at least I picked the right door, because that one already had a small ding in it!
The prang wasn’t good for my ego, but in a funny way it was good for our marriage. I’m not a very needy person. I’m capable and independent and can take care of things myself. But you know what? Not needing others just isolates you. It was good for me to need rescuing. And I picked a great guy for the job. Thanks Honey. xx
(Sorry the images aren’t great… best I could do from my iphone on a very stressy day!)
Great that hubby came to the rescue without any recriminations.
If I do something like bump (only a little bump – no poles involved) the car, or trip and fall – before I tell dh I always say “Please don’t be cross!” – he says of course I won’t be – then he can’t be when I tell him!
If not, the number of times I have fallen and he says something helpful like “Why did you DO that?” – so the “please don’t be cross” tactic has always helped me!
Glad no serious injury to anybody, apart from a little pride
janmary, n ireland´s last blog ..An Alarming Snowman and Lessons Learned
I’m glad it was the door on a pole and not something more serious.
I reversed through the back of the garage before; thought I was going forward, hit the accelerator and BANG! So…. we all do it. It’s part of being a woman, it makes our men feel needed. Your man got to have his moment, got to leave work early and got to see his wife and son.
I’m the same … if I ever do anything even minor to our car my DH doesn’t cope too well so I too have to start the conversation with “you have to promise not to get angry but…” Thankfully there have no recent incidents … I know how embarassing these things can but glad it wasn’t more serious!
Oh, that sound is a gut wrenching feeling. I’ve run into those pesky poles in shopping centre car parks TWICE! With the door shut but the noise is still bad. I think I’m a smart girl too and felt so stupid. The second time I was pregnant so I blamed it on that.
And what a good man you have! At times like those the last thing you need is an ear bashing. He really is a knight in a white ute!!
Thea´s last blog ..iPlod
Oh poor you. I reversed and opened the door into our too-low-to-see retaining wall. It bent the hinge so I couldn’t shut it, but had to go and get Eleanor from school and so managed (with that panicky super strength you get when you have to) to bend the hinge back enough to semi close the door. Sobbing I rang my husband later to confess all, you know, in case he didn’t notice the massive scrape and the sound of the wind howling in the door. He was very kind and just relieved it was only a door involved. It was quickly fixed but the memory of his kindness and concern lingers.
Oh no, Cath, I cringed as I read this. A few weeks ago I was backing out of my parents’ garage and totally flattened my dad’s picket fence but your story is even more dramatic. It’s encouraging for your blog readers to know that we all do crazy things like this sometimes. We have a lot on our minds.
Blessings,
Paula
I keep coming across this quote -
“In my life, nothing ever goes wrong”
I think your post is a perfect example… ok sure things go wrong, but even in the ‘wrongess’ there is rightness.
katef´s last blog ..Shwactors!
{{HUGS}}
Michelle´s last blog ..You are my Sunshine Award
We all do stuff like that at some stage! I find it pleasantly surprising when I don’t get an agry response (or too much of a ribbing) from my partner.
Yay for Mr Squigglemum!
I know I shouldn’t.. But I’m in a restaurant laughing so much I have tears in my eyes. I’m sure it wasn’t funny at the time, but it really was a mintie moment!
I did something like that when I left a newly bought dinner set on the roof of the car and drove off.. So embarrassing but so funny now to think of that smashing sound in the middle of the carpark!
I’m so glad you got a giggle out of it Tracy! Mistakes are for laughing at and learning from. Guarantee you I’ll never reverse the car with the door open again!!
Oh I love when our husbands play hero. xx
I did the same thing years ago Cath. Yep, it’s definitely something you don’t do twice.
Busy Brissy Mum´s last blog ..Chocolate Balls
Oh ouch!!!
I’ve done some not to bright things in my car also, like trying to go through a half opened gate in the dark and scraped all up one side of the car.
And losing control on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere by swerving for an animal(middle of nowhere meaning between my house and my friends house…I live in the country lol). Ended up with 2 tyres off the rims, bogged in the sand, 2 year old with no shoes, no phone reception and a 6km walk back to my friends house for help!
Yep, well all do it!
I reversed my car into the basketball hoop in the middle of my in-law’s garden last Christmas and boy was my hubby cross!! He doesn’t take those things very well so I’m always nervous about telling him!
Good on SquiggleDad for being so great about your accident!
nearlySuperMum´s last blog ..Mini-break!
Hi Cath, I too laughed reading your BLOG about this….not so much at you, more with you. Cos, I know how you feel! I did exactly that on my Birthday when Daniel and I were a new couple….he of course found it highly amusing, left work and came to “save” me too. All the other guys at work thought I was some air-head until they met me…. After I finished crying about it at the time it happened…I did end up having a fit of the Giggles! To make things worse my Dad found me a new door…the problem was it was BLUE! My car was white…just put that neon sign on my car…”Stay away, she’s pranged her door! All you unsuspecting poles take a step sideways! I park by feel!”… I just hope you get a door that’s the same colour as the rest of your car.
Love ya
xx
Karen A-D´s last blog ..Postcards, Potatoes and a Fishy First….
Hooray for SquiggleDad! Nothing worse than being trapped in your car with a young child. We got locked out of my dear MIL’s house a couple of days before Thanksgiving…all three kids and a trunk full of groceries and no way into the house. Hubby was a hour away by car or he would’ve come to our rescue. Luckily the nieghbors with the extra key came home before too long.