If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans

Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Nobody ever had a rainbow until he had the rain.

The list of life’s reflections goes on and on. Basically, these old sayings are just trying to assure us that we need to just suck it up and deal with both the good and the bad.

Some years are better than others, and some test your inner steel. This year, I’ve been trying to challenge myself into finding the good in every bad situation. After all, if God is indeed laughing at my plans, I might as well try to join in on the joke.

My plan was to work on getting myself into a better state of health. This included finding a primary care physician and catching up on the tests I’ve neglected over the years. Dutifully, I have been checking off the boxes and taking the necessary tests.

I foolishly assumed that if I was referred to another doctor for further testing that it would be covered by insurance. Let’s just say that I won’t be making that mistake again. I’m doing my best to be grateful that I can extend the payments over the next 10 months as opposed to having to sell one of my kidneys.

Transportation is sometimes viewed as a necessary evil, especially in rural America. I chose to live here as opposed to New York — the city that never sleeps because it has mass transportation and taxi services available around the clock.

I had hoped to get one more year out of my car and not have to do a car payment until the medical bills had been paid. Again, God chuckled. Now I’m being grateful for the family and friend who helped me come up with a down payment, and a dealer willing to help stretch the financing to keep the monthly payment to a manageable level.

I do grin every time I get into my new-for-me car because it used to belong to my driver’s ed teacher, the one who gave me a “D” behind the wheel, which I still proclaim is the very best grade I ever received. It made me a much better driver at an early age, when lifelong habits are formed. Over 40 years later, with no accidents and only two speeding tickets, I’d say I’ve made the best out of that teachable moment, and I’m forever grateful.

Sometimes when God is laughing, he’ll throw in a little bonus. Through the magic of social media, I was able to get a free ticket for a touring Broadway show I’ve been wanting to see. It was a gentle reminder that life doesn’t suck all the time, and that there are good and generous souls in the world to make your day a little bit brighter.