The solution for a car parked too close brings me joy.

My car was plugged in at our hotel this weekend, the spots were pretty narrow and there were posts every few spots adding extra challenges.  When we walked out to the car on Sunday morning, the EV in the spot next to me was just inches from my drivers side.  The EV spot next to him had been ICE'd and that car had crossed over the line, leaving the EV an incredibly tight space, if it wanted to be able to charge.

I unplugged my car, assessed the space between the cars, and then got in on the passenger side and climbed over.  And then we headed out for our day of activities.  There was no harm done.

That image of the cars so close and me climbing over the center counsel stuck with me throughout the next days, bringing a smile to my face each time.  Do you know how much easier life is if you don't have to simultaneously manage someone else's emotions while you solve the problems that naturally come up?  How much easier it is to smile when you come up with a creative solution when you're not with someone who sees malintent everywhere and assumes the world is out to get us?

If we had still been together when this happened, he would have been outraged that someone had parked so close.  He would have inspected every inch of the car.  There would have been a lot of swearing.  I would have silently recognized the hypocrisy because if the roles were reversed, he would have done the exact same thing this car had done, leaving someone else in the exact same scenario we were in.

After I validated how horrible it was and tried to calm him down a bit, I would have climbed in the passenger seat and over the center counsel, just as I did on this occasion and I would have pulled the car out for him.  Then I would have had to listen to him complain about it for the rest of the trip.  And if I didn't vocally agree with him enough, he would have accused me of not being on his side.  It wouldn't have been enough for me to validate his initial complaints and solve the problem for him.  He wanted someone to join him in his misery and drama.

It reminds me a bit of the morning a week or two ago when I started the day stepping in a puddle from a leak under the sink that had spread across my kitchen and hall.

So it is just so refreshing to focus my energy on solving the problems that naturally come my way and then moving on.  Life is so much easier this way.  It's filled with so much more energy for joy.  It's peace.