Timing Changes Everything.......I Miss Out on the Share Our Strength Dinner Fundraiser in Boston

Well my friends, I'm afraid that after 10 months of anticipation, drooling over the event menu and preparing for the opportunity to interview Gordon Hamersley and his culinary brethren, my evening as the Ambassador for Food Buzz at the Boston Share Our Strength Fundraising Dinner at Hamersley's Bistro came to a rapid and unexpected end when my car up and died. Yes, it just called it quits, and left me fuming, angry and very upset that I had to forgo this marvelous and wonderful evening to help eliminate childhood hunger in America. Also, I was starved, had planned on this event for months, and was fit to be tied.

Needless to say, the timing was the worst. And, to make matters even worse.......it was the "timing chain" that decided to let go, even though it wasn't scheduled for replacement until I'd garnered another 30,000 miles. Thank God the engine suffered no damage. It disengaged and shut down immediately as I was sitting in traffic at an idle, but none the less the malfunction totally left me in a lurch.

Getting from the where I live to Boston via other alternative public transportation options was very doable, however the return trip later that evening would have been very difficult, if not impossible. Public transportation to our beach front community is dramatically reduced after the summer season, and I would have wound up asking a friend to drive at least a half an hour each way to pick me up using the only public transportation hub that is open later in the evening. And, I really didn't want to ask a friend to pick me up at 11:00 p.m. or later on a work night.

So ladies and gentlemen, I stayed at home, warmed up leftover pasta and tried to put on a happy face. The pasta was warmed up, but my happy face never really materialized. Even though I tried to be eternally thankful for the fact that the car didn't die during rush hour traffic into or out of Boston, I was still upset that I had to miss out on this fabulous evening.

In the end, I realized that things happen for a reason, and that this malfunction was meant to be. I'm sure that everyone who attended had a delightful evening, complete with incredible food, wine and ambiance. I pray that the auction and fundraising events scheduled later that evening proved to be very successful, and that everyone had a memorable experience.

Tonight, I'm going pray to the Food Buzz Gods and hope that the opportunity to attend another worthy cause might still be in the cards for me. Who knows...........After all, it's all in the timing.