Lessons from Captain

Captain is my 1994 Chevy Blazer. *He's the blue guy in the picture below. He and I have a lot in common. We like going on all the same adventures. IE: hiking, bike rides, canoeing, mudding ... he takes me to lots of fun places!
BUT, we both have our issues. I'm going to tell you about his instead of mine.

For the past year and a half or so, his heater/air conditioning blower has been out. I'll have it fixed, and that fix will last for a week or so, and then I'll spend a night in a snow drift at -30 and it'll die again. Also, his windshield has been needing attention for some time. There are several cracks and the seal leaks and rain comes in.

The back window latch squeaks pretty constantly. Ask Skyler. He spent a good part of the Idaho Falls/Rexburg round trip trying to shut it up with a grocery bag in the latch. Mostly, I'm used to it and don't even worry about the near-constant squeaking.

No big deal, right? But, in the past month, Captain seems to be DEMANDING a lot more attention! We fixed a radiator leak a few weeks ago and got the heater/blower working again. Still, he has to be persuaded to start. He also started chugging a bit more than usual. Then, I took him to the tire shop to get my snow tires put on, and he wouldn't start for the tire guys. About $700 later, he has a new battery, and a new fuel injection system, and is back to being my normal Captain.

What's curious, is that he's had SO many problems for so long, and now that he's running fine, it seems that he doesn't know what to do with himself! I don't know--does he miss the attention that all of his infirmities brought on? Does he miss thinking of himself as a broken truck, one who needs some extra lovin' and who's incapable of big things? Maybe. Whatever it is, that dang back window squeak has intensified 500 X worse than it's EVER been. Poor Captain. You can't just be okay, can you? You gotta scream out in whatever way you can!

Now, a LIGHTNING BOLT hit me at this point in my Captain analysis. What the crap? I have the SAME PROBLEM! I go through life with tons of weaknesses and mistakes. Some are mere annoyances and some actually hinder my progression and ability to function. I push them aside and try to just live with things for awhile, but I'm unhappy and frustrated and really suffer. Then, I go through a complete overhaul. I change my life. I fix the leaks, get a new fuel injection system--I pull out my scriptures, I start praying more fervently and I attend the temple. I'm back on the right track, and can see a huge difference in the way I feel. But, apparently that can't just be it. Because this is when the little and inconsequential insecurities come in. I start focusing on some unfair hands I've been dealt in life--things I've come to terms with before, yet they pop up at inconvenient times when I feel like wallowing in frustration and self-pity. That dang back window is squeaking! Why can't I just be okay with being okay?

Anybody have any duct tape?