Chao my readers,
I was leaving the house last Saturday, and for some reason, I sat in my car a little longer looking at my garage. I’ve never really noticed how uncontrollably messy it is. It’s supposed to fit two cars, but it can only hold my car because the other side is filled with junk. The thing is, my house is super clean – the kind of clean that glitters in the sun.
Don’t judge me yet! It’s the mom effect. I was raised by incredibly uptight and slightly OCD family.
Back to my theory. My parents’ house is the same way – clean on the inside – but the garage is like a crime scene. Is it just me? My neighbor two houses down have a really nice garage! They have metal shelves along the walls and a glossy floor! I don’t even have a floor
By this time, I was already embarrassed, pressingly sure that all the cars that drove by were criticizing my un-glossy floor. However, I found one ingenious contraption that I’m most proud of. It’s something I learned from my dad when I still lived with my parents. I started out as a pretty “amateur” driving (I’m a really good driver now, I promise!), so pulling into the garage was a challenge. The car never manages to get into the designated box. It was always crooked, not pulled in enough, or at the edge of my door. My dad almost gave up on me, he said, “you don’t park betta, you fail life, ok?” Yes, in that accent. He pulled me to the side of his messy garage and grabbed a tennis ball and a long piece of yarn. He simply attached the string to the tennis ball, and hung it to the ceiling. I thought he was nuts. For sure.
Then, he demonstrated. He took my car keys and showed me how to park. When you pull in, aim the tennis ball right in front of your face. If the string is not at a 90° – 100° angle, the car is not in the right spot. Brilliant right?! At least I thought it was at the time.
That tennis ball thing still lives with me. Why take away something that works? Maybe I’ll leave it for my children or something.
Do you do the same thing at home? It can’t be just an Asian thing (everyone else in my family has one -.-)
Until next time,
Nhi
SketchPad Agent 