Here we are again, Monday! This particular day can be a good one or the most stressful day of the week. Most Monday mornings are pretty good. Today, was a challenge. The weather, for the last two or three weeks, has been unseasonably warm. Here in the Midwest, unseasonably warm means daytime highs were in the upper 50s lower 60s, with lows in the middle 40s. When you can drive with the sun roof open in November, it must be pretty warm.
Anyway, this morning, the temperature was 37 degrees, with a wind chill of 25 degrees. When I let my dog, Hank, outside he wanted inside right away. When I opened the door to let him in, I got a face full of cold wind. Poor Hank was shivering. Fortunately, he has a full coat. He hasn’t been to the groomer in weeks.
This morning, I decided to leave early to be at work before 10:00 am. I got in the car at 9:15 am and turned the key, nothing happened. Oh Lord! I turned the key again. This time I heard a few clicks, the battery! The battery was dead. I left a small light on inside the car. With a dead battery, I wasn’t going anywhere soon!
What should I do? Ah, I know, I’ll call AAA (Automobile Association of America). Then, I’ll call my mentor and tell him I have a dead battery and will be in class as soon as the car is running again. Fortunately, my mentor understood my situation and told me not to worry, but to drive safely when I was able to get on the road.
The Service the AAA operator called arrived about 10:10 am. The mechanic came inside the garage, opened the hood of my car (I had unlatched it but couldn’t find the release to put it up) and hooked his hand held computer to the battery. Of course, the battery was dead; however, I did not know that the battery was the original that had come with the car in 2004. The battery had given its all for me. What battery lasts 5 years without needing a jump start now and again? This one.
The mechanic said he could jump start the battery, but because of its age, he could not tell me how long it would last. A new battery, that’s what I needed. After the mechanic put the new battery in the car, he tested the alternator to make sure it was working correctly. He showed me the computer. All of the indicators were green. My alternator was working fine, and my new battery was working over and above normal-with a 3 year guarantee. By 10:35 am, I was on the road and on my way to class.
The moral of the story is not at any time did I lose my positive attitude. Even though my car didn’t start, I didn’t let the stress get to me. I called AAA and my mentor, and dealt with the situation as calmly as I could. If I had gotten upset with my car or let my stress level escalate, I wouldn’t have gotten through the rest of my day as calmly and easily as I did.
Being able to control your emotions is not easy. I didn’t always remain calm when things went wrong, all you have to do is ask my children. They would definitely tell you that when I was stressed, the decibel meter went off the chart. As I had more birthdays, though, I decided it was time to settle my emotions and handle situations calmly.
These are words of wisdom for the holiday season that is just around the corner. Next week is Thanksgiving! Can you believe it. Holiday shopping begins on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. A lot of people will be out shopping from very early in the morning until late at night. Everyone needs to stay alert as well as calm and in control of their emotions. Many people hate the holiday season because of the shopping season and so many people at the stores and at malls.
Everyone needs to take their time, remain calm, and be polite. If more people were calm and polite, the Christmas season would be as joyful as it should be. I hope everyone of my readers has a joyful Christmas shopping season.
