"And while we can't control fate, we must do all things possible to control our response to it." - John Wooden
Yesterday I was about ten miles away from Mom's house, and 100 from home, when the "Service Engine Soon" light came on in my 9-year old car. As I eased into faster traffic on the expressway, I found the car straining to reach 55 MPH. At that point, the mind starts becomes increasingly sensitive to every little thing. Doesn't it feel unusually warm in here? Did I just smell something burning? Is the temperature gauge starting to drift toward the red zone? How can I get closer to the shoulder? Should I turn off the fan to reduce engine power, or keep the fan on to vent any heat that might be building up? These radio buttons feel unusually hot, don't they? My God, what if the ENGINE EXPLODES? Maybe I should put my sunglasses on here at 7:00 at night so that engine pieces don't get lodged in my eyes... surely these $7 pieces of plastic can defend me from shards of metal that blast through a foot of dashboard.
Peace came with the thought that everything happens for a reason, and things are seldom as bad as they seem. I managed what I could... moving into the right hand lane, coasting at 55 m.p.h., calling Dena and asking her to keep the phone within earshot in case I needed her. Maybe, had the engine been fine and I sped along, I'd have gotten a speeding ticket, or been in the wrong place for an auto accident, or worse. And the slower drive was actually relaxing without all the hurriedness of constant lane changes and rearview mirror checking.
Gladly, the Saturn made it home safe and sound, and my sunglasses are still intact!
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