Patience: The Greatest Sacrifice

For almost 20 years I have fought long and hard to secure and keep my well-deserved spot in garage. I feel that as a contributor to the mortgage payment, having a spot reserved in the garage for my car should be mandatory. My struggle for garage space has gone all the way back to our first rented home in Sault Ste. Marie. It had a one stall garage that was claimed as my husband’s man-cave before we even moved in. Our next house had a two car garage that quickly became a workshop/pool hall. “When will I be able to park in the garage?” I pleaded. He assured me that he would build a garage that I could park in. That dream became a reality when our beautiful 2 ½ car garage was built and I finally had a place where I could park out of the Sault Ste. Marie elements. Shuffling outside in my coat and slippers to start my car was no longer necessary with it tucked away in its own little stall. When we moved down here I was without a garage space once again. Since all we had was a small shed, we decided that a remote starter would be an alternative to a shelter for my car. That helped, but it wasn’t a garage. The first house we built had a 2 car detached garage and I could once again park in luxury. Our current home has a glorious two car attached garage. For the first time in our married lives I was able to drive home in the rain or snow and pull into the garage that led straight into the house. I no longer had to dart to the car in the midst of a downpour or gale-force winds. However, my coveted space in the garage was short-lived. About two years ago Tom embarked on a business opportunity which included the need for a work space. My beloved parking spot has now become a workshop. Again I found that my hair style was sacrificed as I dodged raindrops or scraped snow and ice off of the frozen windshield. I suffered in silence all in the name of entrepreneurship. I figured all hope of my ever getting back in there was gone. But to my surprise my sacrifice had not gone unnoticed. About a week ago my husband called me into the garage, “I was thinking that if I moved the bike to the shed for the winter, got rid of one table and turned the other one, that we could fit your car in the garage this winter.” My hero!  I have never worked so hard helping him clean, but by the end of the day we were returning my car to its precious spot in the garage.  I guess Tom Petty was right when he sang that the waiting is the hardest part.

Published November, 2011