AT THE CAR WASH
I wish I could run myself through a car wash.
Car washes fascinated me as a child. It was magical — all that whirring machinery and alternate bursts of water and soap. I dreamed of being in our convertible as it journeyed through the car wash. I too would get “so clean, it hurts your eyes.”
Being washed, dried and ready to go in less than five minutes would be great! Car-wash soap is the industrial kind, so probably a bit harsh on human skin. But I would choose a “Basic” wash and dispense with the soap cycle altogether. There would need to be an automatic dryer though. No one is going to hand-dry me with a rough, dirty towel.
The automatic car-washes, those without any attendants, seldom work out for me. Take this past weekend. I pull up to “Soap n’ Suds” establishment and park next to the vacuum kiosk. I always clean my car interior first. And it really needs it. The floor mats lie stiff with accumulated dust and rocks. You’d think I spent weeks in a gravel pit. And crumbs sprinkle my back seat like I had a four-year-old back there eating animal crackers.
First I have to untangle the vacuum hose, which is kinkier than the guy who wanted to drink out of my shoe. The long hose reaches the other side of my car without a lot of gymnastics. But it’s big and clumsy to use. I feel like I’m enveloped in the coils of an Anaconda. I have to continually stop to extricate myself.
It’s a dollar-fifty for just four minutes of vacuum time. And that sucks! It’s barely enough time to clean one floor mat. I feed the vacuum quarters like it’s a slot machine. You’d expect good results for all that money (three bucks) — but no. The suction is so feeble, I probably stand a better chance using a lint brush.
I give up in disgust, replace my still-dirty mats in the car and drive twenty feet to the washing bay. They have self-serve ones in addition to the one automatic bay. Last time, I tried a self-serve one, but I just couldn’t figure out how to use it. I ran through all three cycles worth of money in the first wash cycle. In retrospect, I think I spent too much time scrubbing the encrusted bird-poo off my roof.
So I head for the automatic car-wash bay, which is currently empty. I stop at the payment kiosk and choose my wash package. I push the button for the “Deluxe” wash and insert my ten-dollar bill. But the machine promptly spits the bill out.
Noting the creases in the bill, I take care to smooth these out before reinserting it. Once again, the machine angrily regurgitates my money. I rummage through my wallet and come up with a five-dollar bill and five ones. Painstakingly, I insert each of these, one by one. The machine, painstakingly, spits each and every one of them back out.
By this time, there’s a line of cars queued up behind me. I can sense the mood is getting ugly. So I fish out my credit card and insert that into the machine. There’s a blinking message. I have to shade my eyes from the sun to read it. It says, “Card read error. Transaction terminated.”
If you're enjoying this over coffee, tea, or whatever, please consider buying me a cup!REIKI – PRINCIPLE 1
I’d like to introduce the five principles of Reiki. Oh, what is Reiki? Well, there are lots of websites which explain it. Some people swear by it, while other’s call it “hooey.” If you’re curious, Google it. Besides, it’s the five principles I want to discuss, not to debate about Reiki itself. I’ve listed the principles below. I’ll devote a post every day this week to discussing each one in more detail.
Just for today:
- Release anger
- Release worry
- Embrace gratefulness
- Work hard
- Spread kindness
I have plenty of first hand experience with anger. It’s one of my banes. I get angry over the stupidest things. I don’t often get angry with people. Rather, I tend to get angry at things – particularly things breaking.
If the lawnmower breaks or my computer starts acting up, you may want to leave the room. In fact, you may want to leave the house! I can rattle off a chain of obscenities that would make rappers blush. I’ll also admit that in my agitation I’ve even thrown a thing or two. That usually just leads to a small malfunction mushrooming into a major repair.
Replacing a fouled sparkplug on a lawnmower is one thing. However, having to replace the carburetor, because in my anger trying to back out the plug I smashed it with the wrench, makes the job a lot more complicated. In fact, it’s too complicated for me to attempt. Hence, a trip to the repair shop. Even if I hadn’t broken my ratchet wrench when smashing the carburetor, I still don’t have the expertise to replace a carburetor. Of course the repair shop needs a few days to repair the damage from my tantrum. Hence, a trip to the rental store is now required to rent a mower while mine’s in the shop. Plus, I now end up paying the neighbor’s kid to finish mowing since my hand is in a sling – bruised when the broken wrench ricocheted off my knuckle.
I’m sure I’m not the only one whose anger at a machine creates a cascade of tragedies, but I’ve seen other people who take those kinds of frustrations in stride. However, some of them are more prone to releasing their anger on other people. That also becomes a dangerous situation with severe consequences. Some of which can’t be repaired with a couple replacement parts and a few new bolts.
I’ve let anger compound issues until the devastation wrought by my anger outweighed the original problem. No, I’m not proud of it. I’m a work in progress. I can, however, point to situations where I’ve released anger. Releasing anger circumvents all these problems. Not only that, it keeps the mind clear, allowing it to think logically, open to any inspiration that resolves issues instead of compounding them.
I’ve long been a student of the proverbial “school of hard knocks.” So, I know first hand the benefit gained by approaching a situation after releasing anger. Fewer things get broken and I don’t have to watch those around me cower from my outbursts. It’s a much better situation.
Releasing anger defuses a potentially harmful situation into a positive learning experience. Following the first principle of Reiki makes it much easier for me to maintain a peaceful demeanor. More peace means greater harmony spread in the world, which ripples outward to all beings. Harmony, I heartily recommend it.
If you're enjoying this over coffee, tea, or whatever, please consider buying me a cup!
