Charged
It was about 4 PM on Saturday a few weeks ago when I jumped in my car to go to the grocery store. I turned the key in the ignition (yes, I still have a key!) but my car did not start. The dashboard blinked and the engine sputtered before it went quiet. Deathly quiet.
I can’t say this was a complete surprise. My car had started sluggishly the night before when I prepared to drive home from Orlando. At the time, I hoped it was just a glitch in the electrical system since my car had been baking in Disney parking lots for 3 days. Still, I had a sinking feeling that something else might be going on. My suspicion was correct. Something else was indeed going on.
Yes, I was grateful to make it home safely, but I had been gone for a week. There was very little food in my apartment, so I needed to get to the grocery store. I also had other errands and activities to catch up on. Without my car, none of it was happening.
I went inside, took a deep breath, and asked for guidance. That’s when I remembered the auto parts store where I bought new windshield wipers. Not only was it less than a mile away, but I also remembered that they test and install batteries for free. If I could get a jump-start, I could drive directly there and get this taken care of quickly.
After a quick search on the internet for their phone number, I called the auto parts store to see if they had a battery for my car in stock. They did. They also confirmed they would run a diagnostic on my battery and my alternator to make sure the battery was the problem. I just needed to get there before the store closed at 9 PM.
Unfortunately, none of the local friends I contacted had jumper cables. But one friend did have AAA, so he graciously came over and called them for me. The customer service representative told him someone would be here in an hour to help. Great! That left plenty of time to get the car started and to the auto parts store before they closed.
Two hours passed. No AAA. 3 hours passed. It was now after 8 PM. My battery may not have been charged, but I was! Fear and frustration had gotten the best of me. It had gotten stuck in my mind that this situation needed to be resolved that night so I could go about my business the rest of the weekend. It was that thought, not my car, that was causing me stress. I had to let it go if I wanted to return to peace. I surrendered to the fact that AAA would most likely not arrive in time for me to get to the auto parts store that night. And that would be okay.
Finally, at about 8:45, the mechanic from AAA arrived. I went out to my car to meet him, turned the key, and to my surprise and slight embarrassment, it started right up. Well, wasn't that an interesting plot twist? The mechanic was very gracious and said that happens all the time.
Clearly, something was still not right with my car. While the mechanic ran diagnostics on my battery and alternator, I noticed that my headlights were very dim. When I pointed this out to him, he said that usually meant the alternator was bad. This was not the news I wanted to hear since a new alternator is a much more costly repair.
Thankfully, I had done some research on YouTube while waiting for him to arrive. The videos I watched said dim headlights were a sign the battery was dying. I decided to stick with that. Either way, I agreed with the mechanic’s suggestion to take my car to the auto parts store first thing in the morning before it got hot and trust it would start up again.
By then, I found a friend with jumper cables who said he could come over in the morning if my car didn’t start. That was a relief! Now I had a backup plan, but there was nothing else I could do that night.
After a not-so-restful sleep, I got out of bed at 7:30 AM the next morning to try my luck with my car. To my great joy, it started! That was a good sign, so I sent good vibes and intentions for the highest possible outcome to the auto parts store. I arrived shortly after they opened at 8 AM, and a very nice young man was available to assist me.
Unlike the AAA mechanic, his diagnostic machine said my alternator was fine, but the low voltage on my battery indicated it was probably time to replace it. I bought a new one which he installed easily and quickly. After removing the old battery, he noticed liquid had leaked into the tray, confirming his guess that the battery needed replacing. Remarkably, the whole process took less than 30 minutes and I was driving home by 8:30.
This experience taught me, once again, to surrender and let things unfold in their own time. My attachment to making it to the auto parts store by 9 PM the night before only added stress to an already stressful situation. It did not make anything move faster except my heart rate. Once I released that thought and allowed things to unfold in their own time, it worked out better than I imagined. And my car has started like a champ ever since!
I’m so grateful to my friend who called AAA on Saturday and my other friend who stood by with jumper cables on Sunday morning. Another great reminder that help is available when I ask for it. If you need assistance moving through a challenging or stressful situation, I would be honored to help you with a series of Spiritual Coaching Sessions or a personal Family Constellations Session. Both are like metaphoric jumper cables to recharge your battery and get things moving again! Please look around my website for more information and to book a session.
Time can release as well as imprison, depending on whose interpretation of it you use.
A Course in Miracles ~ T-13.VI.4:1