U Is for Umbrage #AToZChallenge

I take umbrage to the following things:

• When my shows get erased on T.V. before I watch them. I have a few select shows that I wait for the perfect time to settle in and just watch! I only watch t.v. certain times of the week. I get my drink, my food, my cuddle blanket and am entertained for an hour or so. It's the best! It's such a let-down when my shows come up missing because they've been erased either accidentally or because they haven't been deemed important.

• Jackasses driving jacked-up pick-up trucks. They're just plain rude! On two different occasions I've taken severe and direct umbrage with them. One of them rammed into my car and took off, thinking he was going to get away with it. (I chased him down and he paid for my next car). Another time, one thought he was so cool, cutting me off in the fast lane, blowing black smoke in my face and throwing up a rock into my windshield making a giant crack. I didn't get that one paid for because it wasn't worth chasing him down! I'd rather not have an accident, when all is said and done!

• People who throw me under the bus for doing them favors. There is nothing sadder than someone who you think is your friend, and then you find out that they don't give a rip about you. As a matter of fact they think nothing of any goodwill you have done for them and will instead use the old "I'll make myself look better by making her look as bad as possible" trick.  Enough said.

• People who use dog poop bags incorrectly. Dog poop bags are to be thrown away in a trash receptacle once they have been used. You don't fill them up with your dog's excrement and just throw them on the ground. That makes it worse than if you did nothing at all.  At least dog poop is biodegradable!

• And finally, have you seen the video about the guy dressed up as a pan handler in the streets of  L.A.? Instead of trying to get money, he was trying to give it away. People were taking umbrage to the idea that a beggar was trying to give them money. It made them so insanely mad. They cussed at him, they told him they could buy him, they told him he needed to work to get where they were. Fortunately, there were a couple of people who got his message and acted accordingly.

Everyday we have plenty of things to get angry, offended, stressed, or take umbrage to. But doing so only contributes to our own unhappiness. We (myself included) should choose not to let the little things get us down. Hopefully we can learn to laugh at the little disappointments and insults that inevitably come our way and instead do more to help others. I know I'm not perfect yet, but I'm working on it. What about you? What do you take umbrage to?

My Trip To Jail Story

A few years ago, my husband and I were not in very good financial condition.  We had both been through divorces that had left each of us penniless.  We just happened to be nice people who got suckered because we truly didn't believe that people we had been married to for years would turn around and do every underhanded thing, both legal and illegal, to leave us in such a horrible position.  We have since recovered and have moved on with our lives, but at the time it was so hard, not only financially, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually as well.  I found that because of the additional stress that had been piled on us, our lives were even more taxed and we didn't always make the best decisions that might help us more speedily recover from our financial woes.

I left my husband in charge of our auto insurance and basically all of our car needs.  We drove my old Toyota Camry and his Ford Explorer.  Well, one day I found that the insurance had lapsed.  I told myself that he would soon pay it and that things would be fine.  I kept driving.  One day I was driving, my mind elsewhere, and I ended up speeding in a school zone.  The cop pulled me over and ticketed me for speeding and for no insurance. Yikes!  I had no choice but to pay it. I was a little late with my payments because I had no extra money for tickets.  I told my husband that the insurance needed to be paid. ASAP!


I had the typical Mom responsibilities for my son, who was with us. He was doing after school activities like football, scouts, etc. etc. and I was the chauffeur!  One day, I was going back home after dropping my son off at football practice.  I stopped at a red light.  The light changed to green.  The car in front of me pulled ahead and I, again my mind elsewhere, started out at a brisk pace!  Well, the driver of the car in front of me was a new driver learning to drive a stick shift!  His car totally stalled out without warning and I plowed into his back bumper!  Our big Explorer was totally fine. But I can't say the same for their car.  Someone called a cop, and I called my dear husband.  I told him what had happened and he proceeded to tell me that there was still no insurance on the car!  I just remember telling him that he might want to check the county jail if he didn't hear from me soon.


The ride to the jail was surreal.  My hands were handcuffed behind me and I was looking at the back of the police officer through a barred metal barrier.  This is not how I see myself.  A convict being hauled to jail? Now I personally know how it feels and it ain't fun!  Luckily, I was soon bailed out and several years later, there is no sign at all of this traumatic experience on my driving record, just on my psyche.

So what have I learned from all of this?  It is this: You may have never ever been stopped or ticketed in this life. But the day you go without insurance is the day all hell will break loose!  So to avoid that, I've got one great suggestion!  Always have insurance, if only for liabilities!  


The first and most important aspect of finding auto insurance is to become educated in the different kinds of auto insurance one can purchase.  Do you know the differences between liability, collision, comprehensive, theft policies, or no fault? Make sure that you are insured with at least liability insurance.  That is all.

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