Today, after a few burps by the engine, the car decided to turn on its Service Engine Soon light. Instant bubbles of stress appeared above my head, with captions such as, "How will I get to work?", "It is too hot to walk" and "I can't afford a new car".
Oftentimes, it is easy to let our minds spin multiple stories that don't have happy endings. A good question to ask is, "What is the worst that could happen?" In my case, it would be that I would either have to depend on others for rides or buy a used car with my savings. Is this the end of the world, as the adrenal response that my body puts out would seem to indicate? No, it is merely an inconvenience. At times like this, it can be a good thing to log onto a site such as The Heifer Project and donate a few bucks. It puts things in perspective when you realize that you are one of the fortunate people having dinner tonight.
Overthinking is never good. Taking action is. The first thing I did was call a mechanic and make an appointment. The second thing I did was call my mom and arrange for back-up transportation. I will refuse to allow myself to worry about the third possibility, budgeting for a new (used) car, until I at least talk to the mechanic tomorrow morning.
Replacing thoughts is effective. Those initial stress bubbles are now consciously filled with these thoughts: "I am fortunate that I have some money in savings", "I am happy that there are people in my life who are glad to help" and "I can handle something as mundane as car trouble".
Life is good.
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