Christine, what a beautiful strong woman; finding a woman like her in charge of a mechanic workshop is every car owner’s dream. Honest, confident, on top of her business and knowing exactly what she is talking about.

Today, East of Eden, I mean…East of Sweden 🙂 inspired me to write! That is enough to feel lucky I met Christine. But the reason I really really want to share this experience with you, enlighten elephants, is the wish and hope that it will be an angelic touch to remind you that the world goes around with the momentum of our actions and that whenever you help others you are helping yourself.

If you have been reading me for a while, you know that the car I drive was a donation from Waylon Lewis. In his effort to be of service to the World, he walks the talk and does not drive but rides his bicycle, while letting somebody like me (who needs it) drive it. As you can imagine, I take this car seriously and I have a sacred relationship with it, always relating its state to the state of my own practice (spiritual practice), because the same way it came to me as a reward, the same way it could leave me in contrast; I can assure you, everything that happens with this car comes with a lesson about spirituality.

Anyway, Saaby died a week ago and to get it to the Saab it was to be 100 dollars only to tell me what was wrong with it, Then, the towing. Then the work on it and maybe in a year I could afford to fix it (in the meantime I teach a yoga class at 6:45 AM in Louisville, for which having a car is a blessing).  After meditation, I happened to find Christine in the phone when I called mechanics. We went through the details and this is more or less what I heard in a state of thankful disbelief:

* Why don’t we do it the ol’ fashion way. You bring the car here, we check it and tell you what it is, no charge. We will fix it only if you agree, we don’t charge for storage of your car and don’t worry; your car and your mechanics are like family, we will figure out payments so you can drive your car. And no worry, if you are having trouble programming your online banking payments, why don’t we do it the ol’ fashion way, and you come visit us once in a while. Don’t worry.

I suddenly felt home. It reminded me of my hometown in Mexico, where all is personal; It reminded me to not forget that as much as  “systems” make the effort to depersonalize business relations with each other, robotized communication with the misuse of technology in the effort to avoid responsibility and decision making with the excuse of having no power to do so, people are people, and neighbors are neighbors, and salesmen and salesmen and all of us are either mothers, fathers, sons or daughters, bringing the bread to the table so everyone can eat, so when money is not what the other person has, it is the noble trade of trust and community support which makes the difference to each other’s happiness.

And you know, car or no car, happiness is happiness.

In thankful bliss,

yeye

P.S. The power of happines is such that as expensive as the bill to fix the car ended up being, I feel happy to share my paycheck wih my mechanic family and keep the flow of money healthy, I am so happy my money will be their money, like the good ol’ way. I have been touch by an angel ~ you are tagged***