murphy’s law of epic proportions

Have you ever had one of those days where things just doesn’t seem to go the way you wanted?

Just the other day I was laughing along with over a thousand people who were watching Yuhwan’s Twitch stream as he started ranting about how bad the past couple of days have been for him. He had some kind of food poisoning or diarrhea, had to take a q-tip test so he can work at his friend’s toast shop, was woken up by a drilling sound because someone was installing an air conditioner in the next room, his computer wouldn’t boot, and then just when he was about to turn on the A/C because it was so hot in his room, the A/C wouldn’t turn on…the list just goes on and on! You just couldn’t help but feel bad for the poor choding as you listened to his stories.

Little did I know that I would also be having a bad day today, especially after I had quite such a day of breakthrough yesterday!

It’s almost been a year since I got my learner’s permit and I wanted to get my license before the permit expires. I was determined to accomplish everything now since my project is also coming to a close and I have a little bit more freedom to adjust my schedule as I need it.

I had everything prepared. I asked my project manager if I can just offset two hours of my day so that I can practice drive while my friend was available. My friend and I agreed to meet at 11AM and practice until 1PM.

unfortunate event #1

At around 11AM, I got a text from my friend telling me she was already downstairs. I quickly grabbed my bag and my keys and went downstairs. As soon as I reached the landing, I tried to open the garage with my electronic key but the door didn’t seem to budge. I walked closer and closer until I was face to face with the garage door but the door still would not open. It was so strange because I had just used that key last Sunday and it worked just fine!

Embarrassed to find out that I couldn’t even open the garage door, I apologized to my friend and said I’ll try to find the spare electronic key that we had. It took me a while to find it because I couldn’t remember when I last used it. I immediately went downstairs as soon as I found it but to no avail. The garage door still wouldn’t open.

I checked for other keys in my key holder and there was this one tiny key that I have not used before. I tried it and was surprised when the keyhole turned. It took us a while to figure out how to open the garage door with that key but we were able to get in eventually.

unfortunate event #2

Since my friend wanted me to get comfortable driving our own car, we decided to take out our 1999 Subaru Impreza out of the garage. I wanted to take it out myself since I had some experience driving it before but my nerves got to me with the “enclosed” space that I eventually asked my friend if she can take it out of the garage instead. She decided to take it for a spin around the block to get a feel of the car before putting me on the driver’s seat.

The last time I drove that car was in October, I think? Yes, it’s been a while. But with my husband away, I don’t really have a lot of people I was comfortable with who knew how to drive a manual car. Even though I know it’s so easy to just ask my brother-in-law to come over and just accompany me and have him sit on the passenger seat, I wouldn’t be confident enough behind the wheel because my brother-in-law doesn’t know how to drive stick.

So when it was finally my turn behind the wheel, it took a few tries for me to get the hang of easing into getting the car to move. When I finally got the hang of it, we drove around our neighborhood’s parking lot, stopping at every stop sign and making sure I stay in my lane whenever I made left turns. Eventually, my friend started teaching me how to change gears as the car gained speed.

With the exception of my nerves, everything else looked good. But since there were still quite a few cars parked in our parking lot, my friend decided that we should look for a bigger parking lot we can practice on. We switched seats and she drove us to a nearby community center.

It was the perfect place! There were barely any cars parked and just quite a handful of pedestrians to worry about. We took a few turns until we realized what time it was. We agreed to do one last drive around the parking lot before heading back home. But when I panicked seeing a teenager crossing the parking lot while I was stopped at a stop sign, I just couldn’t ease into getting the car back running and I stalled three or four times.

When everything was clear, I decided to turn the ignition again but the car wouldn’t start. OH NO. All I could hear was a clicking sound and the absence of the engine engaging as I turned the key. It was an all too familiar scene, one that I didn’t know I’d be in again knowing that we had just replaced the starter last June. I knew at that point that we had a big problem.

I asked my friend to try it out herself because I was already in a state of turmoil. I figured maybe it was just me that couldn’t make the car run. But after quite a few tries herself, we both were in despair.

I was about to call our pastor when I remembered that they were probably on their way to Baltimore that time. I wasn’t sure who else might be available but I decided to call Tito Amor, one of our uncles from church. Thankfully he was free and just asked me to give him our location and he’ll come and help us out.

unfortunate event #3

Unfortunately, my friend had to go back because she had to pick someone up from school. At first she didn’t want to leave me by myself but I insisted that she just go. I called an Uber for her and after 6 minutes she got picked up.

Now, with just me and my lack of a provisional license, I had initially planned to just call for another Uber for Tito Amor after he drops me and the car off so he can go back to his car in the community center, but as I was waiting for him to get there, I thought of texting Lean, another friend from church, who I knew could also drive stick and was also working from home. Good thing he was available and agreed to come to our aid.

When Tito Amor finally came and noticed that the signals and alarm of the car were working, he said it wasn’t the battery that had a problem. He tried to start the car himself but like before, all we heard was a clicking sound and the engine wasn’t engaging. He then proceeded to tell me about this one trick that Filipino ahjussis do whenever a vehicle wouldn’t start. He disengaged the emergency brake, pushed the car and then attempted to jerk it before jumping in back to the driver’s seat and stepping on the gas pedal. Eventually we heard the car running. He drove it around before coming to a complete stop and turning off the engine once again.

He tried to turn the engine back on again with the ignition but the car still wouldn’t start. Finally, he did the same trick that he just did and started planning how we were gonna move the car back to our garage. He parked it as we waited for Lean to arrive. Eventually we decided to have Lean drive the car back to our house without stalling so we wouldn’t be stuck in the middle of the road with a faulty car, while Tito Amor drove behind us in Lean’s car.

unfortunate event #4 (or #1 the second time around)

By the time we got back home, the garage door wouldn’t open with the electronic key again, and so it took me a while to open the garage door manually that Lean got distracted and hit the curb while he was backing up towards the garage, and so the engine stopped.

After I finally managed to open the garage door with Lean’s help, we had to push the car backwards to get it in the garage.

I was too exhausted from the heat and from the stress. And as I walked my way up the steps towards our condo unit, I was so ready to just plop myself in bed but I still had to go back to work.

I texted my project manager that I’ll be back in thirty minutes and took a quick shower to freshen up from the whole ordeal.

While I was in the shower I just couldn’t help but feel thankful even after all that “bad luck”. Sure, my day could have been a whole lot better without any of that “bad stuff” happening to me, but God still sent help.

why god is still good

1. The car could have stopped working while we were in the middle of the main road. It didn’t.
2. The car stopped in an almost empty parking lot. Things could have been worse if it was a busy parking lot.
3. I was driving in my lane and so when the car stopped working, the car wasn’t obstructing anyone or anything that could potentially cause accidents for me or other people.
4. Two people were available to help.
5. Though it was extremely hot and humid, at least it wasn’t pouring rain like it is now as I write this. It could have been so much worse if it was raining!
6. My friend got back in time for her to pick up someone from school.

I could have just gone on and complained about how bad my day has been but dwelling in my misfortunes won’t do me any good. I cannot let my experience take away any expectation for the wonderful things that God has set before me. I’d rather take delight in today’s grace from God that though I may be weary, God gives me comfort. Though I may be in the middle of the storm, God sends His peace. Though I may be downcast, God gives me joy.

And so I implore you to see for yourself that even when the going gets tough, God is much tougher. I’m not saying to turn a blind eye on your pain or your hardships, but rather to look towards God and seek His help. Just hide in Him under His wings. He is your comfort and your shield. He wants nothing more than to fill every broken part of you until you are made whole.

Go taste and see that the Lord is good…because He really is!