Anyone want a Jeep?

August 01, 2018

Anyone want a Jeep?

Here I am sitting on an airplane on my way to Maine, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world.

I didn’t know where my car was… but that was out of my control.

That morning there was a notice on my door telling me that I had to move my car by 9 AM the next day for garage floor painting.

I was already going to be late to work so I didn’t move it then… or try too…

I probably should have.

Actually, I probably should have already gotten rid of my car by now. I keep meaning to donate it to NPR, but I keep procrastinating.

This is my car:

It is hard to fully commit to getting rid of it because, despite its condition, it is a luxury to have a car and it is hard to give up that luxury.

So, that night, just before leaving for the airport to catch my 10:10 PM flight, I went down to move my car and...

It was dead.

Uh-oh.

Without skipping a beat, I left my car keys under the seat, rushed back upstairs, ordered my Uber and headed out, all while focusing on figuring out a solution.

There was no way I was going to miss my flight over this.

Who could I call? Who could I text? Who could help me?

Ah! My building's listserv!

In the Uber, I quickly composed an email to the listserv:

To: Residents
Subject: help! need to move my car and it is dead and am omw to airport!
Can anyone please help me with either a jump or coordinating with AAA (with my account)? If you can help me please email me or call or text me xxx-xxx-xxxx

Literally four minutes later I got a text from a neighbor I didn't know, “I have jumper cables. How can I help?”

I called her and explained where my car was, that the keys were in it, how to use the pliers on the floor next to the driver's seat to pull the latch that opens the hood... The handle had broken off long ago.

She was SO NICE and KIND.

Right after we got off the phone she texted me:

I love nice people!!!!

Problem solved?

Well...

At the airport my plan was to hand out flyers to promote my book. What better place to tell people the perfect airplane read is available right at the tap of their fingers??

After going through security, I approached the woman in front of me, “I just wrote a book and I am handing out flyers. Can I give you one?”

Let me tell you, approaching strangers this way is very intimidating! But, what else can you do when you know you are sitting on a bestseller that no one knows about because you are not famous?

Encouragingly, she was so friendly and she and her friend both took flyers.

A few minutes later as I was heading to my gate I heard, “Hey! We want to get your book! Do you have any with you?”

OMGGGGGGG CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE HOW AMAZING THAT WAS TO HEAR?!!?

Of COURSE I had some with me!! They each bought a copy right there on the spot. It was so cool - not just because they bought my book, but also because they were so nice, giving me confidence to keep approaching people!

[BTW, anyone who wants to hand out flyers with me, let me know, that will be my Friday night and Saturday night activities from now on.]

However, when I got to my gate I got this:

Again, without skipping a beat and with very limited time as my flight was about to board, I called AAA.

"Um, can you please tow my car somewhere where I never have to take it back?"

"No."

"Can you tow it from one level of my garage to another?"

"No. We have to tow it to a shop."

Ugh, I really did not want to spend money to get my car fixed. Why did I procrastinate donating it??

Oh well, what other choice did I have?

I finished coordinating with AAA ("Sorry, please can you hurry up? My plane is boarding!") and then quickly texted my neighbor to let her know to meet them and then was one of the last people to board the plane.

The last text I got before we took off:

Oh lordy. I felt like I was in a suspense action movie! I couldn't wait to land to find out how the story was going to end!

Despite all this, after takeoff, as I looked out the window at the city lights below, I had a smile on my face and felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

Why?

I was on a plane - how many people never get to do that?

I was seeing a view the majority of people in the world never get to experience.

I was going to Maine to see my parents.
I have my parents!
I have the parents I have!

I am from Maine!!

Three neighbors had responded offering to help me.
I had been brave to approach strangers with flyers in the airport.

Two strangers bought my book.

I had the self satisfaction of thinking, "My life is awesome because I make my life awesome."

And when I landed?

Everything had been taken care of - AAA had come and gotten the car started and my kind neighbor had moved it to where it needed to be.

Throughout this time crunch high stress ordeal, guess how much I stressed:

I stressed zero percent.

I don’t think we should stress over things we can’t control, do you?

Stressing would have been such a waste of energy, especially since everything worked out. I don't like being wasteful. I like being solutions oriented.

What do I stress over?

Which flavor ice cream to order.

(omg, so stressful)

My advice though? Just make sure you always have a charged external phone battery when you travel. Because if not, THEN you are screwed.

Now, does anyone want a Jeep Cherokee? You can have it!

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