Oh, The Places You’ll Go…Or Not, Part Deuce

 Man, it has been quite an eventful two days. I am mentally exhausted.

Something that I am learning as I go…life happens. Such a cliché, I know. People say that all the time. You know the sayings?

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

“When life throws curve balls, give your best swing or lean into it.”

“When life throws you punches, fight back even harder.”

While those are all good sayings that I love and often like to repeat and say myself, in this case, I say, when life happens, take it with grace. Your attitude is what will determine the kind of day you’re gonna have.

We used to have this saying in the military, “It is what you make of it,” or “Could be worse.”

Attitude is everything, as the saying goes.

Yes, the last couple of days have been trying and cumbersome, but I know that when God is with me, life is better knowing that this unseeing divine being cares so much for me and everything that concerns me (1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 138:8, Isaiah 41:3. See also Psalm 139:16–18.) His grace is sufficient for me (If you’re a “religious” person or a faith-based person, you’ll be familiar with that verse. See 2 Corinthians 12:9.)

Not that I’m going to throw some preach-y messsage or religious sermon, but life has ups and downs and the hope I have in Christ Jesus helps me carry the burden or cares of this life much easier. Having “stinkin’ thinkin’” can actually affect your outcome.

Sure, things have been stressful to say the least, but I took it with a grain of salt, laughed about matters and gaylely conversed with all parties I interacted with. Made the end of my day today with a grateful heart that I finally got my situation straightened out and will get it fixed for half the price and pick it up when I get paid. (Yay!! *happy dance*)

In-between paydays like me? Not sure what to do? There are options out there. You just have to look for the possibilities.

I’m the kind of girl that will always see the silver lining in the darkness or the light in the clouds even when it is very dim. The spark of hope that I have that things will get better or that God will take care of me helps me along this journey of life. I trust in an unseen loving and merciful God and that all things are working together for my good (Romans 8:28). This sort of attitude or belief helps me to cheerfully bare the weight of life much better.

If you think you’re going to have a bad day, you’re going to have a bad day. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

Swami Vivekananda, an Indian Monk said it this way: “We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.”

So, the next lesson in this latter portion of my day — when life happens, handle it with grace. What is that supposed to mean? Well, this article put it in simplest terms, “Acting with grace is largely about focusing on what you want to happen next, rather than focusing on what has happened to you. (Hearth, 2019).

Now, that I finally got my situation straightened out, I can finally go about my day with ease. It wasn’t without some effort to try to work things out in the best way possible, as well as prayer, and hope that things will be alright.

You see, I am in-between paydays. My savings has been exhausted and I have no credit. What does a person like myself with poor credit and no money do?

Beauty in Everything

Well, pray for one. I trust in God and that He helps me through. Second, just ask for help. You never know unless you ask. Am I right? Or leverage your resources or sources and ask for grace.

I explained my situation to the dealership and they recommended that I try a “pay-over-time” vehicle. Usually these are credit lenders who offer a type of “Buy Now, Pay Over Time” solution.

Other ways of seeking assistance: asking family and friends for help, emergency services provided by local organizations and/or trying to get a credit or personal loan from your financial institution.

These are just a few ideas that I had tried, but utlimately, my solution came in the act of good service through a veterans nonprofit organization since I am a military veteran and was able to utilize the connection I had with the person who leads the organization and it worked out.

A couple of veterans organizations that I tried were, unfortunately, not able to help me so don’t rely solely on local resources. Do your best at seeing what is available around you if only you just ask. :-)

Say that you have exhausted all resources or possibilities. So, now what?

Well, there are a number of Federal and State agencies that can offer assistance through Federally-funded or State-funded programs and institutions. You may have to do some digging, but you can try if you look at your State or local municipal website for resources or information. That would be a good start.

Do you have items that you can sell? Go through your belongings and see what can be made to sell. Create a list, look up the original value of the item and then offer a fair price through local market places, a local garage sale, or through social media and market places online.

I have done this myself. It’s not much, but you can get a little bit of cash for a used item. Every little bit counts and adds up. :-)

If you’re still strapped and have no one to turn to, I would recommend working with the people who can fix your automobile and seeing what options they have.

Can you leave it there until you have the money to pay? Or, will the place add a storage fee?

If so, you’re best bet is to store your car at a place where there is no storage fee and/or tow it back to your place until you can collect enough money to take care of it.

Remember, life happens.

Just Breathe. You’ll get through it. One day at a time, one breath at a time, and one step at a time. :-)

Reference:

Hearth, Alexandra. (2019). How To Handle Situations With Grace. Published in Cleopatras Worldwide. Medium. Retrieved January 27, 2023.