It's the Little Things

A great man once said, "To truly get the most out of life, once must find joy in the smallest details."

... That may or may not be true. If no "great man" ever said that phrase, we'll pretend I fall in that category, solely for the sake of my introduction, as I've grown quite fond of it.

Such opportunities to take a sip of all life's tap has to offer can present themselves anywhere... even the gas station.

With the cost of gasoline getting ever closer to the "sell my car and research dromedarian sources of conveyance" point, I certainly did not expect the gas station feeling like I'd just won first prize in a Swedish spelling bee.


As I pulled up to the the second in a pair of pumps, I grew a little concerned, as I was not sure the length of hose available would be enough to allow the nozzle to reach the my gas tank. The car parked at the pump directly in front of me had not practiced smart gas station etiquette, and had left me precious little room to pull my car up. Luckily for the car at my anterior, my parents raised me to know it's not proper to rear end a vehicle in frustration when such a situation presents itself.


I exited my vehicle, swiped the card for my preferred payment method, and approached the moment of truth. Taking the nozzle in hand, I stretched for the gas tank.


It didn't reach.


I stretched further.


Close, but not quite.


Deciding I'd rather not transfer the gasoline from nozzle to tank via my cupped hands, I stretched one more time...


Success.


... But, there was one problem.


The hose was stretched tight enough that the nozzle would snap back like a rubber band unless I held it in place while fueling. Such a process was not entirely unfamiliar to me, but it hindered my plans on this very evening.


Because I am budget-minded (kind way of saying "cheap"), I had not planned to fill my tank all the way. I'd fill my tank to a price point determined via a popular vote among my car's governing board (e.g., me), and try to successfully achieve a Jerry Seinfeld-style* "perfect pump."


*See American Express commercial from around 10 years ago... Once again, The Writings hits all that is up-to-date.

Unfortunately, the angle at which I was positioned relative to the digitally displayed numbers on the pump did not allow me the opportunity to monitor the amount of gas I had put in the tank. I was working blind.


And so, it began.


Doing my best to make sure the gas nozzle didn't retract from my car, sling wildly like a possessed yo-yo, and strike someone in the face (mission: accomplished), and simultaneously trying my hardest to not look like an utter fool in front of the little blond wiping off her SUV next to me (mission: failed miserably), I did not even have the opportunity to try to count in my head the number of dollars rattling off as the gas was dispensed.


After an undetermined amount of time (it may have been seconds, it may have been days), I decided enough was enough. I put an end to the petroleum parade and placed the nozzle back in its receptacle. It was then that I looked to how much of my hard-earned cash would be devoted to the continued forward progress of my car on this occasion.


The pump read: $25.00.


Exactly.


Operating without sight, with no clue of any sort as to the amount of gas that had been dispensed, I achieved the perfect pump that had eluded me on so many previous occasions.


And I was pleased.


This, friends, is a great example of what I think the wonderfully astounding man referenced in the introduction was referring to.*

*It is also an excellent illustration of how easily entertained I can be.