Have you ever felt like the world is trying to tell you something? Have you had things happen out of the ordinary that you feel you are destined to ponder? Recently I have. Given that this is a new blog and I can’t seem to find a greater purpose for what I am about to share…perhaps this is the outlet and I hope that maybe this is why the things that I am about to share happened.
Three weeks ago, on a Friday I got into my car to find that the light was on indicating one tire was low. I had added air earlier in the week, but slowly it leaked out. I thought it would be a quick fix at a tire shop so I headed to one after work Friday. A nail had stuck in the tread and the man indicated I was very lucky it didn’t pop right away. The tire needed to be replaced. The quick fix took far longer than I hoped (4 hours) and was an expense I wasn’t expecting.
Two weeks ago, on a Friday night, I brought home a bundle of joy. A new kitten =) As I left with my new kitten I quickly found that my car was missing from the spot that it was parked. I had been towed. For the first time my car had been towed…total bummer! So my kitten and I hopped in a cab, headed to the South Side of Chicago and retrieved my car. A $172.00 bummer!
One week ago, on a Friday night, my fiancé was in the mood for some sushi. We headed to a local place and had a great dinner. Before we left he went to use the restroom and came out with a puzzled look on his face. “My keys to the car just got flushed down the toilet!” My response, “You have got to be kidding me, you aren’t serious, right?!” We still aren’t sure how it happened, beyond a powerful flusher and pure weirdness. But the keys were gone. A new key is currently backordered and it could be two weeks before we see a second set of keys.
Later that weekend, I believe Sunday, we were both watching Oprah’s new show on her network, Life Class, where she shared a story about listening to what your inner voice is trying to tell you. She was speaking to the idea that big life events (the bad ones), do not just happen. Usually God, or whoever your higher power is, or the universe, does not just impact your life out of the blue. She shared a story pertaining to drinking and driving. The story went something like this:
She was headed out to meet friends for one drink. Someone that worked in her home asked if she wanted a ride. She declined stating that she would only be there for one drink and she knew that she would not be drunk or even anywhere close to “tipsy”. She gathered her things and headed out to her car. Prior to getting in, the same person was in her yard and asked if she was sure she didn’t need a ride. HER INTUITION KICKED IN. Something was telling her that she should accept the ride. She trusted her gut.
While she knew with a great degree of certainty that she would have made it to and from safely, she made the decision that she felt she was led to make. She then flashed back to an old episode of the Oprah show where 90’s tv star Tracey Gold shared her story of being arrested for drunk driving in 2004. Tracey had attended a family party with her three young children and her husband. He was too drunk to drive home by the end of the day and asked her to drive the family home. Her gut told her that she shouldn’t drive either, because over the day, she had had a couple glasses of wine and her personal rule was not to drink and drive ever. He asked her again and she decided to turn off her little voice telling her not to do it, and she got behind the wheel of their SUV. The truck went down an embankment and rolled three times throwing one of her sons from the vehicle. Amazingly, the family all survived with minimum injuries. Tracey was charged with a DUI and had to ensue a great deal of public scrutiny for something many people have done before.
While alcohol was not involved with any of my car mishaps this month, I aligned with Oprah’s statement that often times we feel that we are okay to drive after one or two drinks. With the holidays coming up there will be holiday parties, get togethers, celebrations, and fun. Listen to the little voice, your gut, or whatever it is that helps you get through the day. Do not chance your life, someone else’s life, or your reputation just to get your car home at the end of the night. Having to deal with my car issues this month was inconvenient, expensive, and quite frankly a pain in the butt. However, they got solved and my life was not too impacted. I can’t know for sure why these things and events happened, but my intuition tells me perhaps it is my opportunity to tell all the people I know, and those that I don’t that you have to listen to the little voice. Sometimes we can’t know the reason things happen, but I just needed to find some use for all the things that happened to my poor car this month.
Enjoy your time with your friends and family, enjoy some holiday cheer if that’s your thing, but make arrangements to get home safely. And pay attention to your own inner voice!
