A Long-Awaited Day

This Tuesday is an event I've been awaiting for months. My husband and I are going to see our very favorite musical artist in concert (and on Ariel's birthday, no less)!

We listen to Owl City music far more than any other music. Adam Young is the creator of Owl City, which is often referred to as the name of a band but is actually his musical "project"--Owl City is just Adam, except when he goes on tour. Then he has a full band, which can also be collectively referred to as Owl City.

The last time Owl City toured was in 2015, and we got to go to the San Diego show. This year, the nearest venue to us is in Anaheim. That's a reasonable driving distance, so we bought our tickets when they first became available, in April. A couple of weeks ago, however, we learned that our wheelchair-accessible minivan was in need of major repairs and shouldn't be driven until it could be fixed. Aside from every other concern that that event raised, it put our concert plans in jeopardy.

Thanks be to God, we have a super supportive church family, who has often rescued us from financial difficulties in the past. Knowing that we couldn't afford the cost of the vehicle repairs, we sent out a plea for parishioners to help us cover the cost. Then one of our friends asked if she could create a GoFundMe campaign to try to raise enough money to replace our accessible van with a newer one! That campaign is ongoing, and we have been hugely blessed by the generous amount of money that people have donated both through the GoFundMe and through our church.

We knew, though, that we couldn't expect to have a new van by October 2nd. And, even if we were going to repair the old one, our mechanic wouldn't be able to complete the work before the time of the concert.

But, in another unexpected blessing, another wonderful friend offered to pay the cost of renting a wheelchair van (and, let me tell you, these rentals are expensive). Then, yet another friend was available to bring me to get the rental! So, we get to go!

I've been thinking about how I can make sure the day is as special as possible. My tendency is that, when I have the opportunity to do something really exciting, I start to worry about what can go wrong, and those worries can obscure the actual exciting events themselves. Moreover, I don't want to just avoid feeling negative: I want to really embrace enjoying the day. So, I decided that I need a strategy to actively seek positivity.

An obvious idea is to listen to Owl City throughout the day. We have to get up early to pick up the rental van, and, as soon as we get up, we can start listening to Owl City. Adam Young has created a huge catalogue of music since 2009, and my idea is to listen to his music in semi-chronological order as the day goes by. The drive to and from Anaheim will afford plenty of time for that as well. 

We also plan to eat dinner before the show at one of our favorite restaurants, The Habit Burger Grill. My mind always looks for things to occupy it while I'm eating, and at the restaurant I want to make a focused effort to meditate on and appreciate the love of those who enabled us to have our special excursion. We've been so blessed over the past couple of weeks as people have rallied to help us, not only by donating money but also by bringing us things and taking me places. I want to make sure that I reflect on these blessings when I have the chance during dinner, and, really, throughout the day.

If you're reading this and you're one of the people who have helped us, thank you so much! The support that our community gives us is truly inspiring.

Here's to a wonderful birthday for my beloved husband, Ariel, and to an enchanting night out!