There’s a bright side to last weekend’s tumbled tree into my CRV:

1. No more new-car syndrome. The car is trashed. Who cares if I spill?
2. I don’t care about cars. My ten-year-old van had more dinks than a junkyard.
3. It was my car that the tree squashed.
4. The tree did not hit my neighbor Scott who had just walked past and heard the CRACK! The tree missed him by six feet.
5. The tree fell on Saturday, so when my neighbor who follows an Orthodox faith saw the car crunch and power lines spark, she ran over to tell me. She said she would have texted, but it was the Sabbath and electronic usage is forbidden . If she had texted, I would not have gotten the message because I was hosting a no-cellphone yoga retreat. Saturday was a perfect day for the accident. 
6. Tim was in Valpo because he opted out of the yoga retreat. Shocker. He would have lost his mind without Wifi for a whole weekend.
7. The Michiana Shores Volunteer Firefighter went to Mount Carmel High School – just like Tim. Small world!
8. I met neighbors. My mom regularly asks, “How are your neighbors?” For over a year, I answer, “I don’t know. I haven’t met them. The house is in the woods.” Now I can say I met Rick, Barb, Reed (a real hoot), Mark, Jody and her daughter Dory and her two granddaughters ages five and three. Playmates for Eileen!
9. I like my rental, a Nissan Versa. It requires a key to start the engine. No more wondering if my car key really is in my purse when I approach my car.
10. Amber at Enterprise Rental Car is getting married next year – just like Bethy!
11. The act boosts the economy with increased income for workers – NIPSCO, Comcast, Enterprise, M&S Collision, Tow Truck Company, Adjuster, Arborist/landscaper. It’s quite a boon.
12. My insurance agent Dave Karp is absolutely awesome. He is a great friend, but I never knew he was the best insurance agent in Northwest Indiana.
13. We have loads of firewood!