By
Shirley M. Carolan, ATMG
Good
things happen in life whether I’m looking for them or not
especially when I learn to get out of my own way! And, there is
always a lesson for me to learn from them once I acknowledge that
they have indeed happened. Years ago I kept a “gratitude” journal
and listed all the wonderful things that happened in my life and how
fortunate I felt as a result. Unfortunately, I got away from doing
that and now perhaps is a good time to start it again?
Here’s
two recent examples of what I mean: (1) I discovered that my driver’s
license had expired a long, long time ago. I was frantic. It was no
good blaming the DMV for not notifying me, (not that I could have
done much about it at the time it expired) because I am just as
responsible for knowing when it expires.
Quickly
I got cataract surgery scheduled ahead of my upcoming birthday, when
normally the license should be renewed. I’d been told by my doctor
I would not pass a DMV test if I didn’t have the eye surgery but
I’d been dragging my feet. Then, I went on-line and made an
appointment with the DMV to hopefully renew my license.
Next,
I downloaded the “Driver’s Manual Questionnaire” to study for
the test, or tried to several times without success until the eve
before the test! Luckily for me, 85-90% of the questions were on the
test the following day. But, I was up all night trying to absorb as
much as I could and my nerves were on edge. After all, I knew how
long ago the present license had expired and I had no idea how I
would be treated by the DMV.
It’s
only fair to say that standing in line forever at the P.O. is a piece
of cake compared to standing in line at the DMV, but the service is
about the same. I made a pact with myself not to show my emotions,
especially my fears, when I got in front of the dreaded questioner! I
told myself not to take anything personally that they may say because
“they” were only doing their job and I could make matters worse
if my nose got out of joint. This attitude stood me in good stead.
The
only person who was really harsh with me was the woman who
administered their vision test. She told me my vision could be
better. I was stunned since it was only a week before that I’d had
the cataract surgery. I asked which eye she was referring to and she
barked at me “Both!” I had all I could do to restrain myself from
telling her about the cataract surgery and that she must be wrong.
Fortunately,
I kept my cool and remembered my pact to myself. After all, no one
had yet pointed out that my license had expired many moons ago and
demanded to know what happened? I knew I had to keep a “stiff
upper” and get out of there before anyone discovered how long ago
the license had expired.
Next,
what became obvious to me is that the DMV has their own Agenda and
thank God that day I was not on it! I had visions of
their impounding my car, or at the very least not allowing me to
drive it home with an expired driver’s license. Then I expected I
would have to come back and take a driver road test and perhaps go
through medical exams. Also, I could expect to pay multiple
penalties. None of that happened and I stumbled out their front door
triumphant and extremely grateful! The worst had not happened and I
was a free citizen with a temporary driver’s license in my pocket.
What
I learned from this experience is that keeping one’s cool under
stressful conditions can pay dividends. So, I’m glad I made that
pact with myself to zipper it up and not take anything personally.
Next, I realized the inordinate amount of time and energy I had
wasted over what “might have been” or trying to second guess
someone else! Hopefully, I won’t do that in the future.
For
those of you who need to renew your driver’s license, I highly
suggest you make an on-line appointment for your exam. There were
hundreds of folks lined up waiting to get an appointment, whereas I
was in and out of the DMV in less than an hour. Unheard of!
My
second example of miracles is: always deal with the best, or at least
a well-known name when shopping for parts, computers, etc. Hewlett
Packard serviced my laptop on-line through a contract I have with
them The technician suggested I go back to using Norton Anti-Virus
after removing several programs on my laptop that were incompatible
with Norton. Then he sold me a software package (Norton 360) that I
can use on three of my computers for $99.99 which would be mailed to
me.
The
following morning, I received a regular weekly email from Staples
offering the same Norton 360 A/V software for only $29.99! I was
stunned. That was a $70 difference. H’m, I could do a lot with $70,
including buy an external hard drive that I’d been wanting to do
for ages. I called HP and told them about the Staples ad (which they
verified) and asked them could they lower their price and I’d
purchase the external drive from them if they could. The supervisor
informed me that a $10 refund was the best they could do.
Reluctantly, I asked if they would refund my money if I returned the
software when it arrived. They said “Yes.” I was quite relieved
and grateful.
The
next day I went into Staples and bought the Norton 360A/V for $29.99.
Don’t you know they also had a special on that day that any
purchase over $25.00 would get an extra $5 off the total price!
Naturally, I bought my external hard drive from them too. I can’t
believe how lucky I am and that I had the fortitude to ask a
reputable giant in the industry to help me and/or refund my money. I
wasn’t at all sure they would but it certainly pays to deal with a
noted industry leader!
Yes,
these experiences taught me a lot about myself and the universe in
general. I’m sure you have good things happening in your life too
that you can share. Do you keep a “Gratitude” Journal? Drop me a
line if you like.
Shirley
M. Carolan, ATMG
Writer ● Speaker ●
Artist
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0663
http://www.shirleycarolan.com
http://www.angelscross.blogspot.com
http://www.smcarolan.blogspot.com
Copyright©
2012 by Shirley M. Carolan. All rights reserved. To reprint any part
of this article simply contact Shirley Carolan at
artistwithaflair@att.net. Thank you.
