a lesson of pride

over the past year i've been working on my mustang. i put a really nice body kit on it which cost quite a bit of money and took some time to install. the end result was that my mustang looked really good with the kit even before painting. everywhere i drove the car i could hear comments on it's appearance some good, some bad(the haters that were jealous)... this of course lead me to being proud of the work i put into the car(who wouldn't be proud of putting as much time and effort into a labor of love ).

today i was given a very painful lesson. my mom was using my other car to go to her dr's office and it broke down. i didn't want to use my mustang to go there because it has a bad tire and broken gas gauge(more things to fix :laugh: )so i didn't even know if it would make it there and back or not. after trying to find an alternate means of getting there i was forced to concede that i had to take the mustang.

after arriving and getting my other car running again i was backing out of the parking stall and wound up backing into another car. OUCH!!!! just like that the bodykit i spent so much time, money and effort installing was busted up...my pride took a very painful hit,partly because i'm a very good driver(usually, i've even been complimented on my skills by the highway patrol) and partly because i was so proud of the work i did on the mustang.

the lesson....take pride in what you do, but use care when investing emotions as attachment causes a fear of loss, fear of loss causes anger, anger leads to destruction.

while i stood there looking at the damaged bodykit i could feel the pain and anger but i did not act upon them, instead i took heart in the knowledge that it's made of fiberglass and i can repair it thanks to having aquired fiberglassing skills during the installation process(the kit came with a notice that modifications may have to be done...and of course there were, so i learned how to fiberglass )

I think my most prized, material possesion is my phone. I use my phone for everything possible. It is a smart phone and I would be ticked if something happened to it. Mostly due to the inconvienence factor that a lot of my info is on and it would suck to have to reload, recompile it all.

That being said,

I have had other things that I treasured so greatly that I refused to use them for fear they would get damaged or ruined. But, what did I gain by letting the object sit on a shelf and gather dust?

I placed a value on the object, more than the actual physical value was.

I then realized the inanimate object had power over me.... I do not like anything, having power over my emotions.

I have since realized, that if throwing my phone, would benefit someone in a positive way, I would do it.... of course, after the event was over, I'd have to go get another one....:blush:

the fun continues: today my mom used my other car to go to another dr appointment, when she got home the waterpump in the car broke...so now i not only need a battery for the lincoln but a waterpump as well, adding to the joy(sarcasm intended ) i took the mustang in to get 2 new tires on the front so i can use it till i can fix the lincoln...then while at the anal violators office aka the electric company my starter in the mustang came loose so i couldn't start the car, making this journey even more enjoyable was that it was midday near 100 degrees and i was in a parking lot(blacktop) and i had no jack, or tools in the car so i could put the starter back in....i spent 2 hours melting while i waited for someone to bring a jack and tools....i had to wait so long because no one else had a working vehicle....yay....all good things come in 3's so i can't wait to see what tomorrow brings :S

lol....

wow, RyuJin.....

Maybe hide under the covers tomorrow.....lol

I am truly sorry to hear this, my friend.....

One of my favorite adages: \"It can always be worse.....\"

keep telling yourself that......

:laugh: i do.....then more happens:woohoo: it happens in 3's most of the time so once the third thing drops i'll be in the clear for a good long while....

First off I must say I hope what ever the 3rd issue is I hope it is minor and leaves you with no ill fate in the long term.

As far as material possessions go I decided long ago when I joined the Marine Corps that nothing I have was valuable enough to really be worried about. My first lesson in this was seeing a father tell his son after a car wreck the \"The car can be replaced, you can't\" Further lessons include reading about families that RyuJin posted about in another thread where the children fight over possessions and currently in my will every thing goes to my only child if I pass and I decided if I have another child everything will go to a charity instead so no fighting over worldly possessions. The last place I learned this lesson from was strangely enough a McGyver tv movie where the \"Treasure\" they found was scrolls from and ancient library. That not only sealed the material wealth means nothing but also kicked me into the high gear of education. Now the most prized thing I own nobody can take from me the knowledge I have gained through School, experience, and learning here are the greatest gifts I have been given and hopefully one day that will be the greatest gist I can give others.

knowledge is the greatest legacy one can pass on....that is one of the reason's i'd like to have children some day....to pass on things that have taken me years of study,trial and error, and practice to develop....stuff i'd rather not see lost once i go....but if it's meant to be lost then oh well....as to my car issues...for some reason i have the feeling that i'm in the clear on it....so now i have to figure out for certain what the third thing was....

RyuJin wrote:

as to my car issues...for some reason i have the feeling that i'm in the clear on it....so now i have to figure out for certain what the third thing was....

how wrong i was....

turns out the third thing finally dropped....the starter in the mustang came apart....literally....i've never seen that happen before....fords are notorious for the engine torque to rattle the starter loose from the transmission, but i've never seen a starter fall apart before...now i don't have any vehicle running....gotta busy day after i get about 2 hours of sleep from work....