Pause in the travelogue so I can blog a current event. This morning, I was up in the spiritual realm, hanging out with God and worshipping for a couple hours. He was giving me new music, and I was playing what I heard on the piano. Then my alarm went off to remind me it was time for my gym class. So I was not fully engaged on Earth when I got in the car. Also, today is the last official day of jet lag. They say to allow one day for every time zone you crossed to fully recover from jet lag. We crossed 8 time zones. We got home 8 days ago.
In any case, I backed out of the garage before I opened the door. It made a terrible, familiar crunching sound, and I got out to discover that the door wouldn't open, and my car was scratched. I called Mike to confess and hoped he would give me the 40 lashes I deserved. But no. After I apologized, he said calmly, "It's just a door." His grace and mercy made me cry. I think I would have felt better with a flogging.
The first time I busted a garage door was in 2005 at our old house on Lakeview Drive. It was grand opening day for the new Pizza Ranch in Morton, and I had been looking forward to this day for a long time. I had been home with toddlers all day and was so excited to go out to eat that I didn't wait for the garage door to open all the way. The second time was around 2012 and I was rushing to get Jee Hye to a ballet lesson on time. We did not make it on time, and JH couldn't wait to tell Miss Rebekah, "Sorry I'm late. My mom ran into the garage door because she forgot to open it." The third time was in February of 2019. JH called from school because she had forgotten her homework and wanted me to bring it immediately. And today was the fourth. I was self-flagellating and asked Jesus, "Why can't I just be perfect?" and He said, "Because then you wouldn't need grace." He doesn't condemn me and neither should I. Every time this happens, I end up overwhelmed at how gracious my husband is, and the repair guys, and the Lord. Apparently I need a reminder every few years.
So back to this morning. I remembered that Crawford and Brinkman did a good job fixing it last time, so I said to Siri, "Call Crawford and Brinkman." She replied, "Sorry, I can only call one person at a time. Who do you want to call?" I picked Crawford. She said, "I don't see a Crawford in your contacts. Who do you want to call?" I looked up the phone number and called them all by my big-girl self.
CB: Crawford and Brinkman.
Me: Hi. It's Janel Janes. I backed into my garage door again. Can you fix it, and do you have any advice for how I can stop doing this?
CB: I will send Jason to fix it. My advice would be to look before you back up.
Me: That's great advice! I'll give it a try.
I didn't even tell her about the jet lag clause.
Then she sent me a text with a picture of Jason, along with this information:
Hi, your technician Jason from Crawford & Brinkman Door and Window Co is on the way to Morton, IL 61550 USA. Jason has been working at Crawford and Brinkman for many years. He has been a installer on both residential and commercial doors in the past. This experience of installing allows him to be a better service technician. Jason has a keen sense to detail and will insure that your service needs at met. Please feel free to ask Jason any questions. He will gladly help. Call our office for any questions: (309) 691-8121
I appreciated that and thought it was a nice touch. To return the favor and let them know what to expect, I replied with a frumpy selfie and this information:
Hi, your homeowner Janel is getting dressed and on the way to the garage. Janel has been destroying garage doors for many years. She has been a destructive force at both this residence and her previous one in the past. This experience of destruction allows her to be a more gracious person. Janel has a keen sense of curiosity and will insure that your service person will be asked many questions. Please feel free to ask Janel any questions in return. She will gladly help. Call our home for any questions: (xxx) xxx-xxxx
Jason arrived in impressively short order, and I did in fact ask him lots of questions, beginning with, "Do people back into their garage doors a lot, or is just me?" He said it happens all the time and even multiple times to the same person. I asked him if he’s ever done it himself, and he said, “I don’t park in my garage.” I asked if he thought that would be a good practice for me as well, and he agreed that it might be. He was truly amazing, fixed it fast and cheap. It’s not like new, but it works and it’s good enough! If I hadn't confessed already, I'm sure Mike wouldn't have even noticed, because it's been damaged since the 2019 incident.
Since I posted this story on Facebook, a few friends have sent private messages saying they've done the same thing. Others have offered tips on how to avoid doing it a fifth time. One suggested putting a sign on the steering wheel that reads, "Open garage door." Another suggested backing into the garage instead of driving in. He assumes I wouldn't drive head-on into the garage door, but I'm not so sure.
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