Early on a frigid Saturday morning in late January, I was food shopping at the Co-op in preparation for a dinner party. Six-forty-five a. m. makes sense since we have 16,000 members: it gets crazy crowded as the day progresses, plus I am a morning person.I took Betsy, my 11 year-old Saturn, as I live more than one-half mile from my food source. By 7:30 a.m. food choices were made and check-out complete. Betsy wouldn’t start. The car was dead silent! My cell phone was at home, so I made some quick decisions about how to proceed. For the telephone, I could go back to the co-op, or ask the owner of the candy store which was visible from my car. Would he recognize me? I hadn’t been in that shop for a very long time. Not only did he allow me to use his telephone, he was okay with my holding on for 30 minutes while Better World (my roadside assistance firm) found a local company to service my car. With all negotiations complete, I waited for the serviceman. Bought coffee. Stayed in the car, on the street or at the candy store. A sense of quiet came over me and it morphed into clarity: I am taking my life for granted! In this fourteen-degree moment everything stopped and my focus shifted. I was filled with love for the people in my life. I appreciated my health, my relationships, my work, my home: all that I have. Being stalled by my car’s dead battery allowed me to view my life through a filter of love. Nitty gritty annoyances fell away to reveal calm, order and connectedness. I felt supported by connected others: the candy store owner…Better World…the serviceman. I wasn’t alone, nor was I cold. I felt joy!I drove rehabilitated Betsy for 20 minutes as the serviceman suggested, and subsequently parked the car in my garage. Later, when I prepared to pick up the birthday cake, Betsy wouldn’t start once again. I calmly called my mechanic who sent two men to start the car and follow me back to his shop. The diagnosis was loose battery cables. Betsy was good to go. Once at home, I reached out to my daughter who picked up the cake. I continued to be filled with peace and serenity in my connectedness. It’s a warm feeling on a frigid day! My dinner party was a success. Linda
#cars #errands #stall #connectedness #everydayexperience #calm #thankful
