Life’s Too Short for "Fine": Lessons from a Stolen Magnet
Someone stole a magnet off the back of my car last week. Now, before you get all judgy and say that I left myself open to that by having a magnet on the back of my car in the first place, let me explain to you why I like to have magnets and stickers and things on the back of my car. How did I become one of “those people?” They got a little older and decided our car needed to be the automotive equivalent of a technicolor dreamcoat. This was especially helpful when we lived in the city, where distinguishing your car from the sea of gray, silver, and beige Hondas was like trying to find a specific grain of sand on the beach. Much to my husband's dismay, our car began to look like a moving collage of children's artwork and school pride. Over time, the kids and I enjoyed picking out new decorations, which may have spiraled out of control. There’s a Bluey one they love, which reads “Nice parking spot, Rita!” in big letters. (If you know, you know.) We also have magnets from their schools. But I digress.
When I realized that this magnet had been taken from my car, I was angry at first. “Ugh, people suck!” I thought. (Excuse my salty language. As the comedian, Nate Bargatze, says, “suck” is practically profanity for those of us who grew up in the ‘80s. Even now, the word feels forbidden, a relic of rebellious youth.) And how can someone just take something that isn’t theirs off someone else's car? My kids, in their righteous pre-adolescent indignation, were equally appalled. Who could do such a thing? Maybe a toddler who swiped it absentmindedly, and by the time the parents noticed, they were too mortified to return it. Or maybe they were already home, unpacking the groceries when they found it nestled in the diaper bag. Maybe...
Then I started thinking about what the magnet said. It was a simple four-by-four square, white background with black letters, quoting the famously foul-mouthed Roy Kent from Ted Lasso: “Don’t you dare settle for fine.” I began to wonder why someone would take it. Maybe they needed the message more than I did. After all, given that the magnet was on the back of my car, I wasn’t exactly looking at it every day. But I was broadcasting it to everyone behind me, whether they wanted the advice or not.
That message has resonated with me as I’ve gotten older. I've learned to speak up when something is uncomfortable or unjust. I’ve learned to raise my hand when I think something could be improved or when someone is wasting others' time. Life’s too short to settle for "fine" when you know there’s something better.
So, to whoever has the magnet now, I hope it helps you strive for your better or your best self. But maybe next time, think twice before swiping it off someone’s car? And, for myself, I guess I’ll stick to stickers rather than magnets. They still bring me joy.
