Trip to the Market

Earlier today, my lovely husband went to the market to get lunch since I was exhausted. When we run around town without Claire, we take our Smart car. He parked and began to walk in when a lady a parking spot over shouted at him, "Did you see the video on youtube showing your car in a crash test into a wall at 45 mph?" Jared replied, "No." She then said, "You won't live." Being the great guy that he is, Jared said, "Awesome!" I take the car to work every Saturday and often get curious comments. I have had a few friends make jokes, but never had a stranger upset with our purchase. If anything I am more self conscious driving my SUV around after I drop Claire off. I wish I had a sign that says "I don't hate the planet, my daughter requires durable medical equipment." As Jared told me this story over lunch I was aghast. It really got me thinking. Poor Jared has a lot on his plate right now, he is coming to terms with Claire and what Rett means for our life, his work is wanting more and more of him as he is trying to set boundaries and maintain sanity, and his wife is pregnant, as well as irrational and overwhelmed. Why would this lady want to say something so horrific to my nice Jared, "You won't live." Maybe she was having a bad day or just lost a loved one in a car accident. My guess is that she says horrible things like this more than once a week. Sad part is that I think there are a few people out there that offer their opinions to people who really don't need them or care. So as a response, for the next week I am going to watch what I say to others. You never know what is going on in the person you are talking with, the clerk at the market or a friend in the parking lot.

Here is the irony, Jared normally rides a motorcycle, so if he hits anything at 45mph, it is going to be a very bad day. This lady was driving a Cadilac sedan that was a few years old, which on the Highway Loss Data Institute, every year prior to 2008 for Cadilac sedans is rated poor, the lowest possible rating. The moral here is don't drive into walls.