This posting expresses my own opinion and does not represent DuPont Company information, positions, strategies or opinion
I kind of had what I would call a bad/good day this morning. I say this because depending upon how you look at it I was fortunate or unfortunate and it all depended upon my choice of perception. I was late today getting my Honda for an oil change. I had been trying all month to get my car in for an oil change and I kept pushing it back for other things. It was getting a bit frustrating. Then I start the Honda and it wont start.
I think: “… I don’t believe it! Something really does not want me to get this car in for it’s oil change!”
I flash back several days when I decided to move my parked Honda a few feet so that I could squeeze in our Toyota. Both cars were parallel parked on the side of the road. At that time I started the Honda, noticed it struggled a bit to start, moved it 2 feet and turned it off. — When I remember this I wonder back, was that a bad thing to do, to start and shut off the engine so abruptly?
I think: “damn it I shouldn’t have moved the Honda, I jinxed it.”
I flash back a week ago. My wife tells me she wants me to start driving the Toyota more and she’ll drive the Honda, since I drive more often than she. The Toyota is a 2005 car, the Honda is 10 years older. I hessitate but I start doing it. — When I remember this my mind is ready to cast blame.
“I start to think: I knew it, I should not have stopped driving the Honda. It’s an old car and needs to run once a day or it’ll get stuck. I shouldn’t have broken a routine that was working just fine.”
Back to me in my Honda that won’t start. I’m ready to bail the Honda and hop in the Toyota and head for work and put off thinking about the Honda until tomorrow.
I calm down and think to myself: “… WAIT A MINUTE WILSON?! … WHY ARE YOU IN A HURRY TO GET TO WORK? THERE IS NOTHING PRESSING AT WORK. IT’S A MONDAY MORNING. YOU’VE GOT AN AUTOMOBILE MEMBERSHIP. YOU’VE GOT THE TIME. CALL FOR A TOW AND TAKE YOUR TIME.”
I fumble for my road side assistance number. They call for a tow truck and tell me it’ll be up to an hour before they are here. I think of what to do. I’ll go back inside and work on my computer. Then I look around at the junk I have scattered in my Honda. There’s a bunch of empty plastic bottles on the passenger side intended to go into the recycling bin whenever I had the time. There’s a bunch of papers and some old doctor’s appointment cards. I decide why not take the time to clean out the Honda.
I start to transfer a couple bags of recyclable material from the Honda to the Toyota that’s parked exactly in front of the Honda.
I start to think: “Isn’t it fortunate that I parked the Toyota in front of the Honda. I mean I think it’s kind of tough for a tow truck to tow a car that’s got other cars parked in front and behind. So when the tow truck comes in I can pull out the Toyota and let the tow truck pull in and tow my Honda. I’m glad my wife suggested to me to consider parking the Toyota in front of the Honda” — However– The negative side barks back. ” Yeah but maybe if you never had to do that bit of abruptly starting and stopping your Honda to make room for the Toyota maybe you’re Honda would have been just fine.”
I continue to clean up the back seat of my Honda. I think the back seats have been used maybe twice in my life. Otherwise they’ve been mostly for storage. I find empty glass and plastic bottles destined for the recycling bin. I find a bag filled with Dryel cleaners — Wow! You don’t know how long I’ve been trying to buy some Dryel cleaners. (Gee if I had my get rich online scheme act together I’d be putting up a Dryel ad for you to click and make me money. But alas I don’t have my act together. Oh well. Some day I’ll pester you with annoying ads. Be patient.) Anyway most stores don’t carry Dryel clothes cleaning clothes anymore only Target does (Ahhh!!! Another missed advertisement opportunity), which I never seem to have time to get to. So now I just saved myself a trip to Target and checked off one more item in my backlogged to-do list.
Suddenly, I get a phone call on my cell. The tow truck drive is asking where I live. He tells me he’s in front of the building I live in. I look up and see a big tow truck up the road, engine idling. I tell him look straight ahead at the guy waving at him. He sees me and hangs up his cell phone. He pulls up and I tell him that my car won’t start, but I’m not sure if it’s just a matter of getting a jump. He asks me to try and start the car. I try and he can tells right away my car does not need a jump. He asks if he can sit in drivers seat and try. He touches the key but doesn’t start try to start the car. He fiddles with a few more ignition attempts, the engine sputters and then dies. He fiddles for another minute and tries again the engine sputters and roars to life and belches lots of smoke out of the exhaust. The smoke clears up and then engine is fine. He tells me probably nothing’s wrong, it’s just one of those things. He mentions something that can happen with fuel lines and fuel pumps at times in this particular car when allowed to sit for a long time.
I thank him. I’m happy. I’m appreciative of fate forcing me to take the time to clean out my car. I stop thinking of a car problem as an inconvenience or a waste of time, but fate intervening and stopping me so that I can clean out my car. No matter how I planned it, I needed to spend at least an hour cleaning out my car and this timeout forced me to take that hour. Actually it wasn’t quite an hour and I would have mind more time waiting for the tow truck.
Thank you God, the Universe for blessing me with car problems! Thanks for those wasting my time and giving me delays.
I drive to Honda service to get my oil change. That was the original point of this whole thing. I mention to them my problems and ask for advice. They asked me if my engine warning light was on. I said no. The service guy is frank with me and says if the engine light isn’t on they probably won’t find anything wrong with the car so it’s not worth pursuing. I’m told it might be 1 to 2 hours though, but I’ve got plenty to do on my computer. So I go to waiting room they have with internet service. I start writing this post you are reading now. And in a half hour they are done!
I think: “Awww! Can’t you take longer. I was just starting to relax.”
I head out to work not ready to be out so soon. Stopped a traffic light I pull out my iPhone (another advertisement opportunity, ahhh!) and search for the nearest Brew Ha Ha Coffee shop (advertisement opportunity, aaaah!!) and let the iPhone’s (It’s the new iPhone 3GS that’s 2X as fast as the iPhone 3G now on sale at your local AT&T and Apple store. Advertisement popup, Adverstisement Popup, Click, Click, Katching, Katching) GPS direct me there. I have a cup of coffee, relax and finish this post.
Oh did I mention my Honda is a 2005 Honda Accord and I also have a Toyota Prius. (advertisment opp). And let me talk about the gasoline brand I buy and the brand of tires I use. One day I’ll be oozing advertisements all over my blog it will naseate the hell out of you, HA HA HA HA! I’ll let sponsors put ads on my clothes (pants by Michael Korrs from Men’s Warehouse and shirt from Territory Ahead) and all over my car.