SOMETHING WONDERFUL

I never thought much about cars. I bought my first and only car, a 1990 Mustang, because I thought it would be a fun car. I never thought about selling it, never really wanted to sell it, figured I’d have it forever. Overall, I didn’t think much about it. I’m not a car person, I’m a horse person. If something needed to be thought about, it was horse related.

I spent a lot of money fixing that car. I’d rather spend the money on the car I had, than buy a new one. When I looked at new cars, I always thought mine was better.

It occurred to me, every once in a while, to take care of my car. I would take it in for extensive detailing, and I had myself a new car again.

When I started my own business 4 years ago, I didn’t drive as much and it seemed the Mustang was just as good as any other car for getting around town for errands and the occasional long trip.

I bought new trucks in the meantime, but the car was a fixture. I decided I’d rather spend my money on horses, and since they were expensive, I figured I’d never have enough of what I considered ‘left over’ for a new car. And since I didn’t want one it was all working out.

Then something that I would classify as strange occurred. An odd turn of events over a couple of months. I’m not sure why this happened, but it became something wonderful. Perhaps not that exciting to most people, not life altering, but as it flowed along, I took great notice of it. An unknown force somehow decided something was needed in my life. I didn’t invite it in. This thing that can’t be classified as thing compelled me to write a story.

It began when my new truck needed some major recall work done. I was planning a long haul with my horses to California in a week and it didn’t seem possible the work could get done before I left. The recall was so extensive I thought it best to find a way. A dealer in Seattle was found who could do the work. It would be a 2 hour trip and I’d have to leave the truck at least overnight, so they offered me a rental car.

When the rental agency picked me up at the dealership, there was me and one other lady needing a rental. They said they had a minivan and a Dodge Challenger. A minivan sounded like a nightmare to me, since I had to drive home 2 hours, so I spoke right up and said ‘dibs’ on the car. The other lady said that was fine with her.

My Mustang, being 30 years old, didn’t have much in the way of driver comforts so when I took my seat in the yellow V6 Dodge Challenger, I was completely freaked out by all the high tech controls, the fact that the air conditioning worked, and it started by pressing a button, not by turning a key. I was actually kind of scared to drive it.

I sat in the rental lot for about 5 minutes trying to orient myself. Once out on the open road, I pressed the accelerator and that thing took off like a rocket. I laughed and laughed every time I sped up, or passed another car. I mean, I literally could not stop laughing and smiling. Over a car.

After I got it home, I couldn’t stay away from it. I drove it around enjoying the thrill of driving this car I previously never even knew existed. I was surprised by how much fun I could have with a car.

When I had to drive it back to the rental agency I was sad.

Once there, the rental agent mentioned that I had rented the Challenger with the smaller engine, but they also rented the one with the bigger engine, the Hemi. I told him that I hoped I had a chance to rent this Hemi. I was actually looking forward to that day, which at that point who knew if it was even coming.

On the drive home, I decided I was overly impressed by a new car and I’m not used to all the modern fun things a new car can do. What do I need a new car for? And how can I part with my Mustang? I told myself I shouldn’t waste money on things I don’t need.

I took my California road trip and all was well. Even during the trip, which was all horse focused and very exhausting, I continued to find myself thinking about this Hemi.

It made sense, as I had been taking courses on business development, mostly focused on changing your mindset and thinking about what you really want, not what you think you can get.

I learned that thoughts are things, and that if you can imagine it in your mind, a way to make it reality is there. The nice thing about thoughts is they are free, and nobody else has to know about them but you. I kept imagining driving this Hemi and how much fun it would be.

A few weeks later, my truck needed more work done. Immediately I thought, my dreams, they came true!! I called the Seattle dealership and said I wanted them to look at my truck and by the way could I rent the Hemi.

Then the rental company dashed my dreams by telling me they couldn’t hold cars nor guarantee any of these Hemis would be around. I said well if I have to drive a minivan 100 miles home, I might have to stab myself with a fork. They found no humor in my situation.

I begged the service department at the dealership to get me this Hemi. It took several phone calls and the best I could get was “we’ll see what we can do.”

Then another manifestation;  when I dropped off my truck the rental agency came to pick me up – in the Hemi I was going to rent.

This car was black, and because it was a Hemi it was a little louder and throatier in the idle, and it had paddle shifters on the steering wheel, shifting it into manual mode gave the driver even more power.

It didn’t take me long to figure all that out and I was bee boppin’ and scattin’ all the way home on the freeway, and all over the long straight country roads.  I would punch the gas and have my head hit the headrest going from 0 to 60 in less than 8 seconds. I still did not understand why this was so appealing, and why I was spending all my time thinking about cars when I never had before.

When I finally had to park it for the night, and brought the keys in, I noticed my first name on a tag attached to the key chain. Not my last name, my first name. As if the car already belonged to me. For some reason this blew my mind.

I was even more sad when this one had to go back. After I dropped it off, I knew my destiny was to have one of these beautiful cars.

Then my mind started to struggle with the idea. My Mustang had always been there. A very reliable car and yes an inanimate object, but I was attached to it anyway.

It was hard to act.  I knew in order to get the Dodge Challenger Hemi, the Mustang would have to be sold. I thought since I really want this car, that will be easy. It wasn’t. It took me 2 weeks to work up the motivation to clean up the Mustang and place the sales ad.

Several weeks went by.  I was trying to figure out how to pay for the new car. The Mustang would sell but not nearly enough to pay for the Challenger. Many times I dismissed the idea to buy it. My horses are very expensive, and I am always saving for some upcoming large purchase. I was giving myself a choice, to either have a horse or a car.

But then I thought, what if? That’s another question my business training told me to ask.  What if, and why choose? Why not both? All I have to do is find a way to pay for it. How? Getting more clients, offering a valuable service that people want to pay for. My usual old way of thinking, is you can’t have everything you want. I had to let that go.

It is absolutely true you can’t have everything you want. Something must be sacrificed for something else. In this case, free time is sacrificed for work. I knew the answer; get on the hustle and get more clients. The decision was simple, and I understood the sacrifice. When you are working for something you want, and you are doing work that is helping people, it doesn’t seem like work at all.

Opportunities may not come in the order you expect them to, but you still have to act, to make the choice and know that the end result will be as you see it. So the Mustang didn’t sell, but the 2019 Dodge Challenger showed up. It made an appearance during an internet search, with a price so low I thought the engine must be missing.

It was confirmed that the car was real, and it had all the features I wanted. It was also 150 miles away. The price was so unbelievable, I felt that this was it.

I was leaving on another long trip with my horses in less than 3 days. I had to act fast. The dealership told me they wouldn’t hold the car, I needed to get down there quick. I found a way to pay for the car, I found a ride, and in 2 days I was on my way to pick it up.

On the drive to pick it up the Challenger someone called me and offered me a low price for the Mustang. He told me he was going to ‘part it out’. I was conflicted. Was this the opportunity to sell the car and make all the decisions end, or should I go with my gut that told me I could get more for the car than this guy was offering and I needed to find it a home that wouldn’t take it apart?

I turned the offer down, and drove home in the Challenger. Then I started to think I might have buyer remorse. It was a big purchase and maybe I made a huge mistake. There was no time to ponder any of this. I drove it a day or two, then left for another 2 weeks.

The Mustang was on ebay and was getting low ball offers I kept turning down. One person spoke with me on the phone. He wanted all kinds of details, and told me he and his dad used to restore cars. His dad ran into some trouble and was experiencing hard times. He told me that he wanted to buy the car and restore it with his dad as a gift to him.  I knew I had found the best home for my car. We were able to make the deal.

I came back from my California trip and a few days later the Mustang was loaded onto a truck and shipped to Kansas.

The way you think about the world affects your results. What if I had stuck with my original ‘normal’ thinking.  That spending money on a car is a waste, it should be saved. That you can’t think in terms of having it all, and realizing your dreams.

But there’s a flip side. What if by keeping my old car, I prevented another person from realizing their dream? In my mind, I knew I wanted the Dodge Challenger. I was emotionally attached to wanting it, I kept thinking about it until I found a way, then I found the car. Was it the other side, the person who really wanted my car, that caused these thoughts to be in my head in the first place?

Who am I to decide that someone else can’t afford, or doesn’t need, something they truly want? My old car may help a person turn their life around for the better.

All this happened because of a yellow V6 Challenger that made me smile. Or possibly because someone else thought about a 1990 Mustang.

He continues to keep me updated. Here she is with new headlights:

I’ve had my new car 2 months and I’m still loving it. I find errands to run. I love to drive fast. There is no buyer remorse. This was destiny!