Car problem

Long ago I had a Jaguar XKE. I loved that car. I learned to drive it based on the RPMs, aligning with the fine machine it was. Thus I knew when my little Mazda was running at 5,000 RPMs I had a problem. I was 100 miles from home with still 100 miles to go. I’d picked up my girlfriend, another psychic, on the way to do an Expo event in Portland.

We were having a great time laughing and chatting when I noticed the excessively high RPMs and I freaked. The gauge hadn’t red-lined yet but I had!  Massive fear. Oh NO! We might not be able to get to the expo.  I’d have to deal with a broken down car?  What did I have to do? Could I fix it and limp into Portland? I was in the middle of a stretch of freeway far from big cities.

I called the transmission man I’ve used before. I’d left a message for him two weeks prior but got no reply. Thankfully he was in. After explaining, he suggested I go to a gas station and add transmission fluid.  Ok. So I took the next exit showing a gas station. We were in ‘Nowhereville’! Then the sign said 3 miles to the gas station!  WHAT? Never before was a gas station so far from the freeway exit.

On that three mile road I asked my companion if she thought this was the right thing to do. We were headed into back country, tiny town world. She didn’t answer yes or no; just talked about the odd distance.  She just held the space. She wasn’t panicked.  I was. I felt responsible for not following up on that transmission question from two weeks before when I was told the fluid was leaking.

If you knew how much car problems panic me, you’ll get how stressed I was. All sorts of imaginings were going through my mind. Prepaid booth at the Expo wasted. Cost of towing. Lost time. Anger at the secretary not forwarding my message/inquiry to the repair person. Disappointing my friend. Responsibility. The looming unknown and my continual  throwing of fuel on my burning fire of fear.

Then on that very long three mile road to the unknown my brain woke up. “Wait a minute” I shouted. “I can create a different outcome! Oh my god, what am I doing?  I’m going to envision some attendant at this gas station who probably isn’t really a mechanic but who loves cars and knows all sorts of things about them.  He’s going to be able to do everything I need and make it all OK. That’s the reality I want!”  I was passionate. I visualized. I KNEW I could do this. I KNEW I was the creator of what would happen. I was shocked at the road I was traveling down with all my fears. That long three mile road gave me the opportunity to shift. (get it?  Shift is what a transmission does!)

We drove into the little two pump ‘station’ with the ever present snack food grocery store. Parking right in front, I went in to find my white knight; the person who knew it all. The clerks were the owners and there was no help there. A young man was checking out with his purchase and I asked if he knew where I could get my transmission looked at as the RPMs were excessive. He said I could go back to the nearest town some 20 miles away. I said “Thanks.” and went back to my car.  No white knight… but I’d shifted, so something would turn up.

I didn’t even know where exactly one added the transmission fluid or what kind to get.  My friend was calling her husband and he was giving her instructions. I got the car manual out and was reading. The same young man came out of the store and passed my car. He then stopped and turned around “Is THIS your car?” he asked. “Yes” I replied.  “Pop the hood for me.” he said. He knew where, how, what. He got a paper towel from the dispenser to clean off the dip stick. He read the manual and then went back inside the store and got the right fluid. I didn’t even know such stores sold transmission fluid. I paid for it. He grabbed a funnel. I never even thought of a funnel. I was going to pay for the funnel too and discovered it was paper and free! Standard in such places. So he poured enough fluid in my transmission, rechecked the dipstick and closed the lid.

It was all done. I wanted to offer money so I did and he put his arms up in the air, palms outward to stop me and said “NO!”  I asked his name. It was Tim. I’ll never forget Tim. I introduced my self and shook his hand thanking him so very much. He turned and walked away. My friend said he had a huge grin on his face.

So did I.

We are in a time of super fast creating. I was offered an experience to demonstrate it to myself. I loved the shifting metaphor. We are so much more powerful than we realize. We can shift our fears in a moment if we’ll pay attention, make a decision to do it differently and then create what we want.

Aren't these amazing times!