Okay so someone who is driving around in a 10 year old Toyota Celica with 150K plus miles on it has got to know that they are pushing the limit to just when the old car is going to officially cross the line between costing more to fix than to make a monthly payment for a vehicle.  It’s been really, really nice to not have a car payment for the past 2-3 years or so.  I just love my car because even though he is an old guy (yes, my car is a male) he still has great pick up and go.

And then my brakes completely went out.  Well, okay…I did get a warning sound like a branch was dragging from my back tires and I did drive back and forth to school in San Marcos a couple of times (70 mile round trip) but suffice it to say, my new brakes turned out to be both of our Christmas and Hanukkah presents combined!

But it wasn’t until today’s ordeal that my mechanic laughingly told me that it was time for me to look for a new vehicle.  I’m not exactly sure why my car decided to completely give up the ghost electricity-wise as I was cruising down the road this afternoon, but I ended up having to get a policeman to push me out of traffic with his car and had to get my car towed to the mechanic.  Even with the dents that have been bugging me for years now I have to say that my car looked pretty cute up there on the back of the tow truck. Like it was piggy backing on top of an elephant.

I wrote to my friend Mitch Ditkoff  that I was sure glad that previous to my car catastrophe today, I had read his blog (http://tinyurl.com/29sgxss). Because of his blog, I was thinking about his mentor/master/guru who he calls Mahariji and the divine sense of joy and love that Mitch receives from him.  Granted, sometimes lofty ideas are hard to activate while in the middle of experiencing “life”; however,  I think that my attitude was in a much calmer place then it would have been if I had not been contemplating about joy and love.  Oh, yes, I did have a “moment” of fear bubble up while talking with my husband on the phone and trying to figure out how to pop the hood of my car and direct traffic around me at the same time but really that episode lasted for only a few minutes.

I’m realizing that, for me, I will ALWAYS be able to come up with a good excuse as to why I believe life sucks and that I have a right to be in a negative frame of mind and totally disregard the feelings of everyone I come in contact.  It is because of this understanding of myself that I have to treat each and every situation that comes up with as much respect for how I can be and how I can affect others as I am able.  Perhaps most people out there think of others before themselves quite naturally no matter what is occurring to them in their world, but for the most part I have to keep this reminder in the forefront of my mind.

I’m not kidding you though, trust me when I tell you that I believe the higher power of my understanding has a very wicked sense of humor.  It’s almost as if my HP is testing my resolve sometimes by anteing up with various things in my life so that I have to stop, surrender and accept the way things are right now

So, take a tip from me there will always be the excuse of “and then there’s that” to keep you from living in integrity with your values…..do it anyway, you’ll be glad you did!