I knew it was coming, it was just a matter of when.

Murphy stopped by this weekend.

The “service engine” light of my car came on Saturday night. I dropped it off at the dealership Tuesday morning to have it checked out. Turned out to be a problem with the thermostat, which apparently was stuck open. Expense wasn’t too bad, but while waiting for a part, the service people did a routine inspection of the car and found that my brake pads and rotors were “in the red” and needed to be replaced.

Honestly, I wasn’t surprised by this, having been really lucky up until now. I’ve had the car for six and a half years and there’s over 90,000 miles on it - and this is the first time I’ve had to take it to the shop or had any trouble with it. People may joke that Ford stands for “Fix or Repair Daily” or “Found On Road Dead,” but mine has served me well over the years, and should last several more.

Overall, this isn’t a huge deal. I have an emergency fund that will cover the repairs. I find it highly amusing, though, that Murphy did indeed come. I’m on the verge of getting rid of my “stupid tax” from several years ago and being completely debt free for the first time in a few years, so of course Murphy would stop by. You always hear about it happening to others, but never think it will happen to you. With the added expense of school in the budget now, lots of travel this summer and other expenses, I’ve been wondering where Murphy was. He didn’t fail me, finally showing up for a visit this weekend.

I hope Murphy isn’t too disappointed that I’m kicking him right back out onto the streets.