Hello Beautiful, Sharon,

This past Sunday I flew to Portland and picked up my new-to-me car.

We had picked out a car we loved that checked all the boxes. I was excited.

But things didn't go as planned.

The night before, I got everything ready for my early morning flight out of Boise. At 4:30 AM, I was up and ready. By 4:40, my daughter and I were in her car, on our way to the airport.

We expected a sleepy airport at 5 AM.

Instead, it was flooded with cars. My daughter wormed her way into the drop-off area. I jumped out, started toward security, and realized I didn't have my phone.

An image flashed through my mind: it was back on the couch at my daughter's house.

I ran after her disappearing car, but she was swallowed up by the traffic.

Panic.

I needed my phone for boarding, getting a Lyft, buying the car... pretty much everything. And I'd promised the dealership I'd be there at 10 AM.

I did Calm Breaths, a simple self-hypnosis tool I teach to get centered fast.

I borrowed a stranger's phone. My daughter assured me she'd get mine and bring it back as fast as she could.

Then I saw the security line.

It was at a standstill and snaked clear across the airport. Even with my phone, making that flight looked impossible.

I went back to my Calm Breaths. One kind airport worker suggested that once I got my phone, I request a wheelchair so I could bypass the line. But that didn't feel right.

I missed my flight.

The airline support woman was incredibly kind. She waived the change fee and got me on a 4:30 PM flight later that day.

But how the heck was this going to work?

Would the dealership still be open? My prebooked hotel was an hour away, and I needed my new car to get there. My salesperson had said he was going home at 5 PM.

Back to my Calm Breaths.

From a more centered state, I remembered:

Things can work out in all kinds of different ways.

Just because you don't know how things will work out doesn't mean they won't.

And if you're going to make things up, Sharon, make up some good scenarios.

Remember, it feels good to feel good, no matter what. And when you do, things go better.

Those thoughts helped calm me down. From there, I moved forward, solving problems and creating a new plan.

But the twists and turns weren't done.

Minutes before I was supposed to board, my salesperson called.

The car we had picked out, loved, and I was traveling across states to buy had been totaled by a carrier transporting cars.

WHAT?!

But he had good news. He'd found another one in their inventory. It wasn't the Carbon Edition we'd originally chosen, but it checked all our other boxes and was rated by Carfax as an even better deal.

“I don't know,” I said. Panic showed up again. “I need to think. I'll call you back.”

Should I reschedule? Cancel the whole thing? Go anyway?

Boarding for Section B was being called.

I took more Calm Breaths and called my husband.

“Get on the flight,” he said. “I'll call the salesperson and sort through it.”

By the time I landed, my husband had looked at the Carfax and Mazda CPO report. He thought it looked like a good deal, too.

So I bought it.

And the replacement car turned out to be better for us, a 2025 Mazda CX-5 premier.

It had a smaller tire size, better for mountain and snow country, lumbar support the other one didn't have, and was even a little less expensive. That left room in the budget for an extra key and new tires.

The timing after that was a dream. Everything came together and flowed.

It turned into a mini vacation.

I visited some old haunts, including Joe's Donut Shop I used to drive to, calm my colicky baby, while I waited for my appointment to have the car independently checked and get new tires. Like visiting Joe's Donut Shop, a place I used to drive to, to calm my colicky baby at 4 am. I enjoyed a long hike in a beautiful place, on a trail I used to hike often more than 40 years ago when we lived there.

On the way home, I took the scenic route, stopped at a produce stand and coffee shop, enjoyed scenic vistas, and took a really long hike at Multnomah Falls.

It was wonderful.

Until I got home and told my sister about it.

Her husband said, “You were totally scammed.”

Oh boy.

Some niggling fears surfaced.

My calm and centered state vanished.

I started researching. Had we been taken? The “your car was totaled” story was suspicious.

The more I looked into it, the more I thought they might have pulled a fast one on us.

I was heading to the bad side again.

Back to my Calm Breath.

Relief came.

It gave me enough space to shift my perspective toward what felt good.

I reminded myselt, our new-to-us car had been independently checked. It looked really good. It was Certified Pre-Owned and had passed Mazda's tests. The Carfax showed it was a good deal. It drove beautifully.

And I loved it.

Maybe they did scam me. Maybe the first car really was totaled.

I don't know.

But I do know I had a choice.

Was I going to spend my time trying to prove I'd been cheated?

Or was I going to enjoy my new-to-me car and get on with my life?

I chose living my life.

From that much better headspace, I texted the salesperson. I told him I'd appreciate confirmation about what happened to the first car because I value transparency and honesty.

He said he was out with the flu and would look into it when he returned.

So far... crickets.

And that's okay.

I'm still going to pursue it, but not from a crazy worked-up state. I want the dealership to know that people care about honesty and transparency.

Feel good first. Then move forward.

Life is going to throw us curveballs. Things will happen that we don't like. There will be twists and turns. Negative emotions will pop up.

It's not about never having negative emotions. It's about what we do when they show up.

When we acknowledge them, soothe ourselves, and look for a softer, lighter perspective, we can move forward from a clearer state of mind and get back to enjoying our life.

WANT TO LEARN A SIMPLE TOOL TO HELP YOU GET CALM FAST?

Click below to learn the Calm Breath. No opt-in required.

Learn this simple powerful tool: The Calm Breath

And if you live in Garden Valley, I'm teaching my FREE Calm in Minutes 3-Part Self-Hypnosis & Stress Relief Series at the Garden Valley Library on October 1, 8 & 15 from 12:30–2:30 PM.

Call the library or stop in to save your spot.

Want more support getting back on track when life knocks you off course? My 12-session package special is available through October 31st.

There is no better gift than feeling good in the now moment.

In joy,

Sharon

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