Life Lessons from My Trusty VW

Over the past few days I've been dealing with an unexpected and frustrating situation with my car.  My troubles began on Sunday when I parked my car, turned off the engine, and tried to remove the key.  That's right...tried to remove the key, but the key wouldn't turn all the way into the "off" position and I couldn't get it out of the ignition.  I tried turning the car on and off, driving around the lot, shifting repeatedly between Park and Drive.  I tried to remove the key while the car was in Neutral.  I tried begging the Universe to help me out.  I tried hitting the dashboard.  Nothing!

So, what did I do?  It was Sunday (of course!) and the next day was Memorial Day (again, of course!), so I had no choice but to throw a t-shirt over the steering column, lock the car with my spare key, and forget about it.  Right?  Well, that's what I did....only to discover a couple days later (this morning) that my battery had drained and my car would no longer even start.  I remember sitting in my car at that point thinking, "I'm stranded.  I'm stuck.  What do I do now?  I feel helpless.  How do I get unstuck?"  I know, I know....you can probably see where this is going.

After hours of phone calls (insurance company, friends/family for advice, mechanics, dealership), strategizing (tow the car?  jump it and drive it to the dealer?  dealer or local mechanic?), and stressing (money, how do I get to work?, etc.), I decided to have my car towed to the dealership.  Before calling for the tow, I went down to get a few things from my car.  That's when I discovered a small (3-4mm) piece of metal that was blocking the shifter from setting fully into the Park position.  Once I removed the block, the shifter moved just a little bit further and the key was set free!  I cannot impress enough upon you how tiny this piece of metal was, how stupid I felt that it was the cause, or how relieved I felt that my transmission was not busted.  All I have to do now is wait for my friend to pop over after work so we can jump my car and I can recharge the battery.  Then....good as new.

So, what's the lesson?  Well, earlier when I was sitting in my car feeling stuck and stranded, and not knowing how to proceed, it did not escape me that this was a metaphor for how I've been feeling about certain things in my life lately.  Whether it's career, health, relationships, or something else, I'm sure you can relate.  Sometimes it's the tiniest obstacles that stand in our way.  Once you remove those obstacles, you will be set free to be happy, healthy, and successful.  But remember that after you remove the obstacle, you may need to take some time to recharge before you're good as new.

Are there obstacles standing in the way of your health and happiness?  What steps can you take to remove those obstacles?  And once you remove them, how will you recharge?

This is Ganesha, The Remover of Obstacles.










Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.