Life’s Scratches – Guest Blogger: Armi Sevilla Rowe

Posted by Susan Epstein on December 13th, 2010 at 04:52pm

“Shoes and jacket on now, please!” I say for the third time. It does not sink into my 10 year-old fast enough. Another bus missed. Another rushed morning, piling the overstuffed rolling school bag, violin and gym bag into the front seat of the mini-van. He has been able to tell time for four years now yet the skill to keep track of time ticking remains dormant in him on most mornings. I am still his nagging alarm and he snoozes repeatedly.

We exit through the garage and board the car. I start the car and hit the garage door button to close it. The bulb lit up and then nothing. No response from the garage door either! It’s a conspiracy. I back out of my spot, rolling gently with a bit of anxiety and…scuff, scrape, dimple!!!

“Sssssshhhhhh…..ooooooot!” I yell at the rear view mirror. What was that? No, no, no!!! Not the Hemi, again! In my blind spot, ever so slightly, one degree diagonally behind my vehicle, sat my husband’s prized lady in black…his beloved Dodge Charger. He was proud to be seen blasting from zero to 60 via highway on-ramps in a matter of seconds, just like the State Troopers do. Just nine months ago, I caused a similar ding on the rear right side panel. I had blamed it on icy, fogged up windows and the obstacle course formed by his haphazard parking and the town rubbish bins. I was, after all, sandwiched in a narrow strait between the two. This time, it was the front left fender. Forget that there was an open space to the right of my car and that hubby decided to test me instead.

“This is what happens when we rush,” I mutter to myself. I could see my son cringing in horror in his seat.

“It’s all my fault,” he says. “I should have listened to you and gotten ready faster so we didn’t have to rush.”

“Oh, it’s not your fault, Sweetheart,” I say instantaneously. “It was 100% my responsibility, my hands on the steering wheel and my foot on the gas pedal. I should have looked more carefully behind me. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Whew, I thought to myself, I almost caused another casualty. I recognized the blame game technique that I inherited from my youth. Not something I wanted to pass along to the next generation. That was completely a useless reflex on my part. Just me, kicking myself in the head. At this point, the car became the least of my concerns. It was just another scrape and scratch that an adhesive bandage can surely fix. Kids, on the other hand, subtly pick up on everything we say. Our actions reverberate tenfold. I may have caused some physical damage that morning, but I’m glad I was able to successfully avert potential internal injuries, which in the long run, would be much harder to repair.

Armi Sevilla Rowe
ASR Perspectives
“Articulate Strategically to Resonate”
armirowe@gmail.com