Just plain stupid....

I have always thought that there was absolutely no reason why a person should run out of gas! After all vehicles nowadays have all those fancy bells and whistles to let you know when to change the oil, when to service the engine...and well...when to get gas. So unless a person is just plain stupid and ignores all the warning signs there is no reason to run out of gas right? Now folks, try not to laugh out loud while I open my mouth, insert my foot and admit that this past Tuesday, I was just plain stupid!

Okay, now for the explanation. There is a good reason this happened right? Well, we had an early morning dentist appointment for the girls. We had rescheduled this appointment 3 times mind you due to one sick child or another. I usually don't make early morning appointments; I really don't know what I was thinking. My mind must have been mush at the time due to being up several nights in a row cleaning up barf! (Sorry, just telling the facts!) When we left out, I realized that the gas light came on just as we left the neighborhood...but we were running late and there was no time to stop for gas! It would just have to wait until after the appointment. The girls did great getting their teeth cleaned and such. The only disappointment was that Sarah had her first cavity! She is devastated to say the least. Poor thing...now we have to go back next TUES to get it taken care of. They couldn't do it then and there so another appointment was made before leaving the office. We decided that while we were out we should stop off and get the paper goods we needed for a little family birthday party we are having this weekend, so we hopped on the freeway and headed towards the mall. I exited the freeway and made a beeline to the nearest gas station as the gas light was still staring me in the face. Okay, okay....we'll get some gas now! I pulled into the left hand turn lane; there was a gas station right across the intersection. As I sat there waiting for the light to turn, the car starts to shake and sputter. I start to panic. I turn off the radio, the windshield wipers, the heater...but all to no avail. The car dies! There is one car in front of me and as the light turns green he happily makes his way through the intersection. I try to start the car several times but have no success. Horns are honking. My daughters start yelling for me to go, oblivious to what has happened, but we are going no where. I fumble around trying to find the hazard lights. I panic and call my husband...but what can he do? He is at work, on the job, delivering packages, no where near where I am stranded. He tries to calm me down and assures me that someone will stop to help sooner or later. Someone is just going to have to push me through the intersection. So we wait...and wait...and wait. Really it was only about 10 minutes I guess, but it seemed like an eternity. Finally, here comes my Good Samaritan! He pushes me through the intersection and into the gas station...(with the help of another Good Samaritan who witnesses the pushing from the gas station and runs out to help as cars start to drive around us trying to cross the intersection!) I am feeling rather stupid to say the least. I thank my do-gooders profusely and tell the gas attendant to please, "fill her up!" We went and got our party goods...and then returned home...safe and sound. It sure felt good to be home...out of the rain...out of the middle of a busy intersection with no gas to make my car go! I can now say that I will head straight to a gas station the next time that little light turns on, beeping at me. "DO NOT PASS GO...DO NOT COLLECT $200...GO STRAIGHT TO THE GAS STATION...NOW!"