The day my Aunt and I found ourselves in a parking garage was a day of rain and slick roads and hard things and laughter and stories and all the good things of being with someone you love and adore can be, despite what the Universe has going on around you.
Because, in case I haven’t mentioned it, I do love and adore her.
As we pulled into the garage, intent on parking and getting to our destination and reason for the nearly three hour trip, I began the descent (yes descent–interesting setup in that one) on the first deck. I was remembering other times in parking garages maybe or maybe I was finally relaxing after driving through some heavy rain, not exactly sure of the route. Whatever the reason, I kind of zoned out. (Kind of nothing–I was in another world.) I remember looking to my left and thinking it curious that I was still seeing an outside view even though we had circled down a couple of floors and should have been underground already.
After making three complete circles of floors and not seeing a single parking space, my Aunt gently interrupted whatever was going on in my brain.
“You do know we are just circling around on the same level, don’t you?”
Ahem.
Well actually I didn’t.
All I could do was laugh. She is the sweetest soul, and she was so gentle in her prodding me back to the present. But y’all know as she rode shotgun and I didn’t do anything to go below to another deck that she had to have been thinking, “What the French toast is she doing? No one is going to have pulled out of one of these spaces that quickly.”
With her help I finally figured out how to go down a level and then another. It was on the third level below that we found the perfect spot. One easily pulled into and out of, with plenty of space around it–excellent and desirable qualities in a parking garage parking space.
I’m pretty sure we laughed the whole way to the elevator that led back up to ground level.
I’m thankful for my Aunt for so many reasons, but right now I’m thankful for her gentle prompting to keep me from continuing to go around in circles.
Because if she hadn’t y’all, I’d still be there right now. Circling around. Wondering how come no spots were opening up.
In this life we have those moments, don’t we? All of us. When we get our wheels stuck. Or we circle around and around, never really advancing or getting anywhere, unable to move forward. Isn’t it nice when we have folks who love us enough to gently call us out on it, and then laugh with us when we wonder what on earth we had been thinking?
If you have one of those folks, give ’em a hug. If you are one of those wonderful people who help the rest of us keep on keeping on, thank you. Here’s a hug from me. We need you in our lives, with your caring ways and gentle reminders of how to move forward. Thank you.
Love to all.
I Might Need A Nap 
Bless her heart. Sometimes we need help breaking out of the circle.