Little Wonders

If you think about it, gas isn't really the kind of thing that we routinely feel grateful for. We're all thankful for our cars (especially if we've recently had the experience of being without one). But we--or at least I--don't think about the gas much. Not so anymore.

Mike lost his job last summer, and our finances have been total hell since then. He got a new job at Walmart toward the end of the summer, but it pays significantly less than the other job had, and basically we no longer make enough to even pay all our bills, much less buy things like food and gas. So for about a week now, we have been driving the car on fumes. More than once, we scrounged up all the change we could find, and used it to put one gallon in the car--just enough for Mike to get to school. We maxed out our last credit card for the two dollars' available balance, to get one gallon of gas (actually a little less) so we could get to work. But Mike got paid this weekend, and for the first time in two weeks we are driving on a full tank of gas.

It is wonderful. You can feel the difference in the way the car drives--it responds better, the driving is smoother. And you can feel a difference in the lack of panic brought on by watching the gas light and wondering how long it's been on, and how long you have before you run out. So I have learned to be grateful for gas, and for having enough money to fill up the tank. It's a small thing that makes a pretty big difference in my life, and having small things to be grateful for makes my life just that much lovelier.