August 6, 2013 I was enjoying the beautiful weather while on my lunch break. I was blessed to live only about 5 miles from the office and often stopped at the store before going home to re-energize and nosh on some lunch. This lunch break started as they always had, but took a turn for the unexpected and concluded with me in the Emergency Room getting X-Rays to make sure my body had no serious injuries.
Did you know that most car accidents occur just miles away from home? Unfortunately, when you’re in a familiar area you are less careful and more distracted. This wasn’t the case for me as I was t-boned by a driver exiting a shopping center. Yep, I had the right of way, when someone drove right into me at the exact moment that I passed their stationary car. I often think about how perfectly the stars had to be aligned for me to be at that exact location on that exact day in order to have that accident.
I had ‘minor’ injuries but my car, Lady B, a 1999 Ford Contour with manual locks and windows, and head lights that had become so cloudy I was a danger to myself and others if driving after sunset, was not so lucky. Witnesses ran to my aide to get me out of the vehicle. They constantly asked me my name to ensure I was lucid. Once I realized I had all of my body parts attached and what happened, I looked up to see Lady B taking her last breaths.
Both airbags deployed and lay on the dash board. The hazardous – cloudy headlights that would often detach and hang loosely by one wire as if it was a scene from a horror film with the eyeball barely holding on by the optic nerve, were on the ground. The hood had popped allowing for everyone to see the duct tape that was strategically placed in order to keep all of those undercarriage parts in their respective places, but all of these parts now slowly fell into the street. These God-sent bystanders tried to help me but were undoubtedly distracted by the state of Lady B.
I’m sure we all had the same thoughts.
“What a Blessing!! I hope she has insurance!” In that order, LOL!
That day was a turning point for me as my Faith increased exponentially. I adored Lady B. She was with me while in college at the University of Memphis until I obtained my Master’s Degree from UALR. She got me up and down the Interstate when traveling home from school on holidays, and when I worked in Lonoke and Benton but lived in Little Rock. She wasn’t the newest or the most fashionable but she got me where I needed and only stopped on me twice in the 150K + miles I put on her. But like all great love stories, ours came to an end that day.
Even though I was driving Lady B, I had my eyes set on a BMW 650 convertible. That was my dream car, probably because I always wanted and still want, to live near a beach. I often talked about this dream car and how I’d have it one day. I remember sharing this with an ‘acquaintance’ and the response being, “that car costs 100K!” as they looked at me sideways. My thought and response was, Ok.
I learned a long time ago not to share my dreams or goals with everyone, whether it be family, friend, or foe. Everyone will not feel the same way you do about your desires. People will also often judge you based off of your current situation and be unwilling to see the determination and drive you have in accomplishing your goal.
I did in fact have insurance and took that settlement to the car dealership and bought my first car! ( with the help of my Aunt because I had no idea what was going on.) Oh what a joy to press a button and have the passenger window roll down.
Have you ever been in traffic, and end up side by side with a gorgeous man in a sports car? Well I have! I was in Memphis at the time, driving Lady B of course, when a highly melanated, handsome man in a silver Cadillac XLR pulled up beside me on the right. I remember I had a pageant event that day so I was extra cute! Traffic was inching along as he looks to the left, sees me, smiles, and gives me the upward head nod. You know what I’m talking about! I smile back but on the inside I’m like ‘dayyuummm! HELLO!’ He then rolls down his driver side window, and motions for me to roll down my passenger window so we could of course exchange numbers.
But I couldn’t!
I would’ve had to put my car in park, release my seat belt, crawl over to the passenger seat, crank down the window with my hand, crawl back over to the driver seat, reattach my seat belt, then put the car back in drive, and hope this Adonis of a man was still interested after I essentially held up traffic while performing that acrobatic routine. I was too embarrassed to say or motion that I couldn’t automatically release the window, and so the mystery man drove away after giving me one last nod and shrug to say goodbye. Needless to say, a little part of my heart cracked that day. But my motivation was ignited.
Lady B has since had several siblings including Krystal, Grace, and now Gloria Alexis! I never got the BMW Convertible, but that’s because I saw something I loved and wanted 1000x more. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” Ephesians 3:20. I didn’t go to the dealership for Gloria Alexis, but I know without a doubt she was waiting on me. I again thought about how perfectly aligned the stars must’ve been for me to randomly walk into a dealership and while test driving a different car, spot the most beautiful car I’d ever seen and never knew existed.
It only took one test drive in sport mode from 0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds to further cement the belief that Gloria Alexis was mine!
The irony is that even in this car people are still talking about me, but the commentary went from, “You still have that car?! or I’ll pray you make it home without incident; to Whose car are you driving? Can you handle that car? That’s a selfish purchase. Wanna race?! How much did you pay for that? What do you do for work? Only bank robbers and cops need a car that fast. and of course, Can I borrow your car?!” That meme is definitely true that reads, people will talk about you no matter what, so you may as well do whatever brings you joy and live your best life.
I wasn’t able to to go from a Ford to a fast car as quickly as I’d hoped, but I believe in divine timing and perfect alignment. There was a lot of growth mentally and financially that needed to happen before I could truly manage my dream car. I’d had a car for 14 years but never had a car note, then all of sudden had a brand new car and a new bill, but the SAME salary. I was happy to have the conveniences of the new car, Krystal, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about how I could afford it. I know without a doubt had I initially ran out to get my dream car I would not have been able to keep it. I hope to keep Gloria Alexis forever, but I also know that if I can’t there is something greater waiting for me.
If you’ve been working on a goal but it seems to be taking longer than you’d like, I encourage you to not give up and don’t concern yourself with what others have to say about you. This a surely a time for growth; and when you’ve learned all you needed to learn, on the most random of days, when you least expect it, the stars will align and give you everything you never knew you wanted!
Drop a comment and let me know if you’ve ever had an embarrassing moment in your car or what you want for your dream car and her name.
You are truly a gifted writer ❤️ Thank you 🙏🏿
Love this