I bought a new car, recently, well, it was a few months ago now. Nothing was really wrong with my old car, maybe it was a little banged up and dirty but it still ran good and got me where I needed to go without any problems at all...and I loved it, still. However, I still felt, for some reason, that I wanted a new car and that I should have 2 cars in case I needed a backup. I even knew what kind I wanted! I had a Buick LeSabre Custom and wanted a Buick Enclave. It was bigger, so I could carry more people with me; and it had all wheel drive so I could travel better in all kinds of weather, especially snow and dangerous weather like that, and it was a Buick, which based on my previous car I knew I trusted.
As with any new decision, there were other things to consider. Things I thought were pretty important; things like another payment on top of my house payment, not getting as many miles per gallon as my car, the extra cost of buying new 19 inch wheels when the time came, having 2 cars on the insurance payments, having 2 cars, period, when I was only one person. I thought these things were so important, in fact, that I decided to either wait until I really needed a new car, maybe a year or two down the road, or try and talk myself into a different car that had the same seating and maybe a better miles per gallon number. I tried, I really did, to look at other vehicles, but I hated all of them, they were not for me; even though they even looked EXACTLY like the one I wanted, the Buick Enclave, I did not even want to consider them in my heart. So I decided to not get anything and just stay with my trusted Buick LeSabre, which was good, nothing wrong with it, remember.
Well, as is sometimes the case, you're not really as in control of things as you think you are. A Buick Enclave jumped itself into my path, when I least expected it! I was out of town, even out of state!, visiting and helping a friend. Getting a new car was nowhere on my radar because, like I said, I had decided not to get a new one yet. When my friend's son slid onto some ice and ran into the car in front of him, we rushed over to his place of work to check on him and make sure he was alright. Yes, he had gone straight to work after the accident! As we saw he was, by the grace of God, alright, I realized he worked at a Buick car dealership. Although, it, in retrospect, wasn't the time, I asked my friend to drive around the lot, curious as to whether there were any Buick Enclaves to be found. Lo and behold, (were you seriously surprised???) there was one Buick Enclave, all in it's dark brown glory. It was on sale for Christmas. It had a bench seat in the middle instead of the undesirable (at least to me, hey I needed an 8 seater vehicle!) 2 bucket seats I had seen Buick Enclaves as having on the internet. It seemed meant to be, or was it?
So I decided to put forth a test of faith, I said, 'Well, I'll see if my bank approves a loan and if they do and it all works out, maybe I was meant to get this Enclave!' The bank approved me immediately.
So I said, "Well, if the paperwork can get here in time, before the sale goes off etc. etc. etc. it might be meant to be for me to buy this vehicle." The paperwork arrived in time.
Before the paperwork arrived and before the next business day at the dealership, because of the weekend, I had a couple days to wrack my brain with decisionmaking and indecisionmaking, as I like to call it, because I can never make up my mind, even if I feel it's what I should do, or what I really, really want to do! I made up a projected budget. I asked the advice of family and friends. I prayed fervently for an answer. I read reviews on the internet. I checked values on the internet. I 'slept on it.'
Sometimes, I think, people get a little agitated and iritated with my indecision. I guess making decisions isn't as anguishing for others as it is for me. I get ideas through anguishing over my indecision though; from what others say, from what I reason out in my own mind and from playing around with different scenarios as I anguish. I got lots of good advice and one that really stuck with me was when my friend turns to me and says "Do you really think you're going to be better prepared a year from now to get a new car, than you already are? What's going to change? You're still going to have a house payment, you're still going to have savings, you're still going to have a job. Why not just get it now?" Well, she might have said it a little differently but that's how it came to my mind and my remembrance. After that, I came up with another 'if/then' plan!
I said, 'Okay, I'll leave it up to the dealership. I will offer a certain price to them and tell them that's all I can do. If they can take it, I will take the car. If they couldn't then that would be that!" ... They accepted my offer.
Hmmm, are things LOOKING A LITTLE FISHY TO YOU YET???
I texted my mom that I guessed I was going to buy the new car. Guess what she wrote to me?
"I knew you would...."
Why didn't I know it? Or, you know what? I guess I did know it too, how could I ignore the signs? Why do I let myself get caught up in fear of the unknown, when everything usually works out for the best?
And remember all my fears? They all got checked off one by one.
I bought the Enclave and loved it, never had any after the fact feelings of remorse. It felt right from the second I made my decision to buy it. I would have been disappointed if I hadn't of bought it, actually. Would have kicked myself all the way home!
What about all the things that I had thought were pretty important?
1. The payment turned out to be $500 a month. I added up all my previous month's purchases, putting them into categories of needs and frivolities and guess what it boiled down to? Oh, wow, I'd have to stop going to Wal-Mart and wasting my money on stupid stuff, big deal! That's what I always wanted anyway!
2. What about having to pay two car insurance payments? Well, when I went to the insurance company, guess what? It only added about $100 to my previous policy! No big deal there, plus I wouldn't have to pay it for about 3 months!
3. What about having two cars for one person? I live in Nevada, that's a given. Lot's of people have more than one car and plus, it's safer to have a backup car in case your car doesn't start in the morning and you have to get to work and no one is available to help you etc. etc. etc. So, no big deal, plus! Plus, I actually let my friends son use my LeSabre since the vehicle he was using got put out of commission when he slid into that other vehicle, remember? So I look at it this way...
When you make a change for the better in your life, there will always be prices to pay, but those prices are worth it! You still have all the valuable lessons learned from what you knew up to that point and you are also able to grow and learn more after the change occurs.
The lesson is trying not to be too afraid to make the necessary changes just because you might not know the complete plan that is to come. You have to have faith that you will gain so many more blessings (blessings you deserve!) and then use all you now have to even bless the lives of others (blessings they deserve!).
Another lesson, is this. If you feel like hesitating or putting off a decision, say for a year, ask yourself the question..."Will you really be any more ready in a year, than you are right now?" Think about it.
And another lesson...I promise this is the last one...even though you may feel like you don't know the answer, you might just be kidding yourself and when you, in all innocence, come forward with what you think will be a big proclamation and surprise to those around you, don't be at all surprised when the first words out of all their mouths is "I knew you would!"
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