When things go horribly wrong

So maybe I exaggerated on the title a wee bit, but this week has forced me to think a lot about my life, what I want out of it, where I would like it to go in the future, and how I am going to go about achieving the things that I would like to occur. It seems like it takes a bit of bad luck or out of the ordinary things that get me thinking. Following the news that I was going to have to sink yet another large chunk of money into my vehicle, I found that it was very easy to get discouraged by this, but then I got to thinking about what good things I can take away from this experience. So here is what I came up with:

It could have been worse, the engine could have blown.
My wonderful, beautiful, amazing girlfriend is coming to visit today.
I am going to write out a list of things I would like to achieve in the next 10 years.
This will force me to be more frugal with my spending.
No babies died.
I learned that a radiator can crack for no reason other than pressure, thus making radiators not so different from humans.
I still have a roof over my head and a warm bed to sleep in.
I get paid tomorrow.
I was shown yet again that the world is a small place (the mechanic who worked on my car had family from Durango and was able to chat it up with me for awhile about my home town).

When I moved to California I felt like I was taking a gigantic leap forward in my life and finally doing something that I loved, was good at, that allowed me to travel, and that let me be independent. I am 26 years old and am just now starting to see how much of the world is out there still. I am seeing how many opportunities there are for me to grow and learn, and to start becoming an adult. I always swore, and still do that I will never grow up. However, with getting older comes certain responsibilities. The time for me to start moving forward a little further is just around the corner. I don't know what that will be yet, but it is time for me to do a little more growing up.

-T