i had the most wonderful string of events happen to me over the last couple of weeks. i will pick out the one that stands out most in my mind. so, after my car broke down and my neighbor who is also my mechanic told me it was the alternator.. we found out that it wasn't the alternator at all.. just a corroded wire and a bad connection.. so all that was needed (i thought) was a reconnection of the wire (simple) and a charging of my battery (FREE)... BUT NO! my mechanic had bad news... what is it, i asked. this car has no brakes on it, he told me.. brakes felt fine to me but i trusted him... and he knows more about cars than me, right? so, i have a yoga class to lead and he says he wants to get me out of the way and just drop my car off to me.. i tell him he can take my debit card to buy the parts and i'll get it later (my mother was not pleased with this)... and the mechanic did not agree. he wanted cash. so i paid him labor ($65.00+) & parts ($46.31 for brakes pads front & back). i gave him $120.00 CASH. later i got my car and he said i needed a tune up. that would cost an extra $20 parts / $25 labor.. no problem. i get the car back.. i take him to get lunch.. i'm excited to have my car back after two weeks of walking and waiting for others for rides (which wasn't that bad at all!)... so, we're good.
i drive my car. brakes feel the same to me.. but whatever. i don't notice anything fishy until my roommate is telling me that i should have gotten the brakes checked before having them replaced. so, i realize.. i haven't gotten ANY receipts at all. i call my mechanic and ask where he put the receipt from the brake pads. i left them in the car, he insists. i can't find them. i call again. this time he sounds defensive and says he'll check his pockets. sounds weird to me. plus i'm intuitive.. so, now i know something's wrong. i ask him to write me a receipt for the labor he's done as well. he says that's no problem. i ride by (he lives right next door).. to pick them up.. he says he'll write them soon. i go by again. he's on the phone with a relative.. apparently there's a crisis. he tells me to come back. i leave his house and go to my friend's auto repair & body work shop because now i know there's something wrong. he takes off a tire... and tells me that the brakes on my car have thousands of miles of wear and tear on them, they do not match the thickness of new brake pads and most likely came with the car and the good news is they have 3 to 4 months of life left on them. now, i know i'm about to go off. i call the mechanic's son & nephew.. i'm close to both of them and i am so upset at this point that i am feeling vindictive and i have it in my mind to expose him and get them involved.. but by Divine Will they are both unable to talk when i call. i calm down. i take my car to the auto parts store where he supposedly bought the brake pads. i ask about it... he got the price slip (which i saw) but never bought any pads. they say this is not the first time something like this has happened.
so, now, it's me and my friend Corey in my car and my friend/new mechanic Queens in the car behind us. we roll up to my old mechanic's house. i ask for the receipt. he writes one for $90. i request a receipt for all the cash i gave him. he asks me what the problem is. i say, nothing, i just want my receipt is all. he rewrites the receipt for $145. good.. so, now, we can talk. i tell him that i had my brakes checked and i am not sure what he did with my money but if he bought brakes he sure didn't put them thangs on my car. he is tongue-tied. laughs a bit out of discomfort. shifts.. paces. and mumbles a few incoherent sentences all in hopes of trying to convince me i am wrong. Queens pipes up and speaks his peace.. and the old mechanic tells me to come back in 20 minutes and he will have my money. i went back.. he had $60. i went back again.. got $30 more. tomorrow morning i will receive the final $30.
at one point the o.m. called me on the phone and said "i don't do business like that..." and i felt that i was truly in a state of peace when i replied: that's fine. we are cool. really. i care about you and we will not do business again. but i want my money. give me my money. we are cool.
all he could say was: "ok"...
so, i learned a lot. get receipts... buy your own car parts.. and it is totally possible to FORGIVE amidst the offense.. and to shift from outrage to vengeance to empowerment to forgiveness to peace-of-mind to joy at more money in my pocket. i experienced first hand- the shift that i have heard so much about. i learned that you cannot continue telling stories from your life in ways that cause you to feel negative emotions and expect to be able to attract those things you actually want... so, i never told my two friends (old mechanic fam members) what happened.. he did. thus, exposing himself.. i also learned that being trusting makes you vulnerable and being taken advantage of hurts but it nearly impossible when you remain connected to yourself... furthermore.. when someone tries to take advantage of you whether they fail or not- it takes true courage to continue being vulnerable (that is OPEN, loving, forgiving and entirely - yourself).
to me the old mechanic.. was just another teacher... teaching me the benefits of staying alert to my inner/emotional guidance system aka intuition or gut feeling... i also saw first hand that allowing one's SPIRIT to move to the forefront and handle a problem is most effective.. SPIRIT is eternal and can see the light in others.. even when they are acting out lower vibrations she can see that it is for your highest good... it is to fulfill a spiritual agreement, to heighten your vibration by providing contrast and giving you the opportunity to clarify a preference (in this case the preference being integrity and security)..
i am grateful for my old mechanic because he presented me with two options.. one: act out of spite, anger & vengeance and two: act out of spirit, peace & grace. I chose the latter.. I am so glad that I did.. because now, i got my energy/money back and my car is fixed... and i have a new mechanic... and i am pleased with myself.
peace.
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