Be Ever Grateful

This morning I "pulled" the 8 of Bolers/Pentacles from my Buckland Romani Tarot app as my daily draw. I thought, "Ah, makes sense, I'll be slowly making my way through work today...." Mmhm. I got ready to go, my husband and I dropped our younger daughter at school, and we set off toward my workplace. As we were within a few blocks of our destination, the car suddenly shut down and refused to restart. It wasn't the battery; I knew it was something worse, I just didn't know what. We were at a dead halt in the middle of a very busy, very fast road, but fortunately a couple of friendly passersby helped Jorge to push the car into a nearby parking lot. I mused to him: "You know, you'd have thought I would have pulled the Tower or something, not the 8 of Pentacles. Seriously." We called for a tow, and while my husband sat waiting to be taken to a mechanic, I walked the rest of the way to work to meet my class.

Buckland Romani Tarot

Later my husband called me and said, "Not good news. The engine is useless, and they say that it doesn't make sense to repair it - we need a new car." Oh shit! This was the second part: "Since I have no way to get you, see if you can find a ride home." Yes. Over a year ago I was run into by a texting-while-driving sort, and our other car was totaled. We took that as a sign that it was the right time to downsize, to save money, to lower our carbon footprint. So we were a one-car family. And now we were suddenly, and without warning, a no-car family in a city with terrible public transportation, where having a car has become essential.

On my way back to my office after class I took a detour and saw that my director's office door was slightly open. I didn't know what I was going to say, but I decided to say hello. I had written an email to my colleagues asking for a ride home, and she'd just seen it. She said hi, and asked about my situation. I told her that it would probably impact my next day's teaching schedule, and asked for ideas about how to manage it. Suddenly she said, "You know what? Just take my car!" I called her "crazy" several times, and also thanked her a few times, and soon I was on my way home, in her little blue Nissan. On the way I stopped at the mechanic to pick up my husband. As he was paying for the inspection, I sat patiently in the waiting room. Suddenly I got the joke:

My view from the car repair shop waiting room

I was in a car repair shop. Just like the one on the 8 of Bolers card. You know, within reason, taking into account the cultural context and decade. I laughed. And then I took a picture. You have to appreciate the way the universe works, no matter how dire the circumstances, really.

So we were a bit stuck. We had a repair quote exceeding $7000, no car, a kid in school who would eventually require a ride home, and I had to teach again the next couple of days. I couldn't keep my boss's car forever. This was a true WTF moment, though a true gem was the moment when my husband actually handed me the estimate, and as I reached the final price I just started to laugh, and he laughed right along with me. Because what else is there to do? If someone hands you a repair quote that high for your only vehicle, that is just about all there is to be done about it.

As we drove home I said to Jorge, "You know, this really does suck a lot, but there are so many ways in which we are fortunate today. Gabriel wasn't in the car with us when it shut down in that busy zone. Those men helped to move the car to a safe place. We were only a few blocks from work, so I wasn't too late for class. My director handed me her keys, and now we can pick Lourdes up from school. The tow was covered by our insurance." The list later expanded to include the fact that our insurance company secured us a rental car on the same afternoon, allowing us to return the borrowed car. We went to a dealership (which normally I passionately hate - sales, in general. Not a fan) and the fellow that helped us was nice, very relaxed, very open and non-pushy. He even broke into song at one point. Instead of wanting to run away as fast as I could, I found myself wanting his business card! (This is a true rarity).

When our foray was over for the evening (we still have no car of our own, and have more insurance stuff to deal with tomorrow) we went home, finally. As we entered the house, a glorious aroma of garlic and spices wafted toward us. Our oldest daughter had prepared dinner: a trout chowder that she had found the recipe for online. It was really good.

I checked the mail. There was the Earthbound Oracle that I wasn't expecting until tomorrow, beautifully wrapped in tissue paper, with an art card, a sticker, and yes/no flipping coin on top:

Earthbound Oracle still boxed and wrapped

The point is: be ever grateful. Life throws some major twists and turns into our paths, and many of them are unexpected and unforeseen. We can't always change what happens to us, but we can always choose how we see the circumstances in which we find ourselves. In even the very difficult moments, there is light.

Gifts and Gratitude

Yesterday a lovely thing occurred: a nice-sized USPS box arrived at my home, sent from many states over by my diviner-friend, Robin, from the Quartz Cafe. I get tired of hearing myself say things like "I can't believe it!" or "This is amazing!" or "How the hell did I deserve this awesomeness????" But the truth is, those are the thoughts that have been flowing through my mind for a couple of days now, and they'll probably being hanging around for a while more to come.

Many months ago, just as I was falling ill with a nasty cold, Robin had sent me a package that she said would include "just" a new Kipper deck. I was pretty excited. When it arrived it was far more than a deck - she had sent incense, and an incredible quantity of wonderful teas, of all types. So as I descended into the throws of coughs and sneezes and lethargy, I was nursed along by Robin's teas, and entertained by my new deck.

Yesterday's box was amazing for many of the same reasons (and some others as well). First of all, she wasn't just sending goodies to me. She sent along some special things for a mutual friend of ours as well, who happens to live in my same town. Not only did I (and our other friend) become the recipient of the new Under the Roses Lenormand, but she just happened to toss in the Gaian Tarot for kicks. Really? That would have been enough to induce deep silence in me for days, but as padding for the decks she included a variety of tea, a sack of dried rose buds, a bag of loose white sage, spell candles anointed with her handmade charging oil, and boxes of new incense. 

Gaian Tarot - Joanna Powell Colbert

I tell Robin that I simply have to provide her with something in return, to show my gratitude. A lifetime's supply of readings??? It seems pathetically disproportionate, though I'd do it with joy (and I will most certainly hatch a plan to get her back some day). But she always says, "Just let me set my tent up in your back yard when I come visit." 

There's a sacred lesson here. (Though even typing that seems trite, since I'm the one who's done all the receiving, to date!)

All I can say is that I feel blessed and deeply humbled to have this ridiculously selfless person in my world. (Oh, and I suppose that one way I can show her some gratitude is by mentioning that her eBay shop has all sorts of wonderful divination items, so check it out! - this is someone worth doing business with).

So thank you, Robin.