Friday, October 23, 2009

The Joy diet: week 6

A new meeting for "The Joy diet"´s tribe at Jamie´s.

The process this week:

1) Read Chapter #5: RISK on Saturday. Not pay much attention to it. If I haven´t even figured out my desires yet, how can I plan risky actions to get there?

2) Totally ignore the book on Sunday.

3) Decide to do something scary on Monday. Not dream/desire related as I haven´t got a clue what that is but scary anyway.

Now, on Wednesday you asked yourself "How can asking for a sandwich be difficult?". Today you will ask "How was THAT scary?" after reading the next paragraph.
The scary thing was to go to the tyre shop and have my tyres (yes, I use the British spelling :D ) rotated and balanced.
Go on, you can say it now: How could THAT be scary?!?!?!?!

An unknown place. An unknown task. I was out of my depth. For someone whose reputation is based on knowledge, doing something I didn´t know about in a place I didn´t know was shaking hands scary. (Side note: I realized this on Thursday, the knowing part)

On Monday morning I faced my list of "What if"s. What if there was a queue? What if they were too slow? What if they broke something and the car couldn´t move? Fear won, I postponed the task till after school, so I was sure I could pick the kids up.

On Monday afternoon I took my car in. The mechanic boy (mechanics, just like policemen are getting younger every day ;) ) asked something about the wheels. I laughed it off, saying that even if I sounded like I knew what I was talking about when I asked my tyres to be rotated and balanced, I was only repeting what my hubbie said and I had no further idea.

There. I´ve said it. I have no idea what this is about. I fitted the stereotype. The helpless, ignorant, damisel in distress. Darn!

Hubbie had also told me it was a 5 pesos job for each wheel. The quote was $120. (Side note 2: my car is a small two doors Volkswagen Gol, not a monster truck or an 18 wheel trailer) I asked for (EEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK! I HAD TO ASK FOR!!!!!!) a detailed bill.
Car was ready in an hour and a half, I went home and waited for hubbie.

He was happy about the whole event. Over the moon I had remembered to ask the wheels to be balanced and aligned. Happy as, in the price was right happy.
Uh?

4) I wasted Tuesday being sick. WARNING: Marja you can stop reading now. Anybody else who is upset by barfing stories too because when I say feeling sick I mean sick as "in all fours, head in a bucket" sick. As in keep walking like a zombie around the house not to pass out sick. As in doing said walking with the bucket in my hand because I was not quick enough to reach the wc sick. As in I totally blanked out Tuesday sick. As in forget the drink plenty of fluids advise ´cause I can´t even hold water sick. Darn! Again.

5) Use Wednesday to get back to normal. Decide not to do anything scary in the near future.

6) On Thursday morning decide to go to another unknown place to buy an unknown piece of oven accesory. This time I´m taking the thingie and placing it on the shop´s desk ask for (eeekkk) an identical one.

With the excuse of "no parking space" I didn´t stop at said unknown shop.

7) Friday ... time will tell. ;)

19 comments:

Kathryn Costa said...

Oh my goodness... what a fun joy seeking log. I can relate to the fears of going to new places. When I was young I had so much fear in me that I was frozen many times. My mom would stop at a corner store and ask me to run in to buy some milk -- I froze in panic. She would hand me the phone to call for a pizza -- I froze in panic. Today, I have moments when a faint remembrance of those feelings come back. I felt it when I knew that it was time to buy a new car last week. I had no choice but to do it. Now I feel so strong for meeting the task head on. Thank you for the sweet comments on my blog. You are right some of our fears are nothing to others. Heck, now I love public speaking and this is a huge fear for most people. Keep risking -- it definitely gets easier!

Lawendula said...

Thanks Paula for your nice comment. I love that you describe each day.
Enjoy the next week!

WrightStuff said...

Well, what a week you had! I had a meeting with a board member that I had been putting off because I was scared and of course, it turned out alright in the end (and I didn't even read the chapter yet!!)

Grammy said...

My you had and adventurous week. The car repair shops almost want you to tel the what to fix some times.
I am just reading post. And offering support.I am not posting.
Have a great week.

Sherry said...

Stepping out and stepping up in unfamiliar territory -- a new home, a new country, a new language...any and/or all of those is risky!! I'm glad you were able to accomplish the tire rotation and alignment! As for the oven thingie..I'd have taken that with me too -- for someone to see what you want makes it easier, no matter what language we speak!!!

Keep testing those waters...who knows, with each risk you take and gain courage in doing that, the desires may become clear to you!

Lisa @sacred circle said...

I loved reading how your week unfolded... conquering the unknown, little by little... with humor and strength that is not easy to overlook! Beautiful!

Lexington said...

Thank you for sharing your week with risk. I love how you also break down your week daily. I find it so helpful to look back on and be able to realized where I made progress and where I stagnated. Reading your week was very powerful and inspirational. Thank you so much for sharing.

Lucy Ladham-Dyment said...

Thanks for the fun way to post. And great that you are taking risks.

Karen D said...

Way to go! It is hard stepping outside our comfort zones. I have similiar fears going to unknown places, it can be so frusterating.
Thanks for sharing your week with us.

Cathy said...

Great job - keep taking the little risks

Helen said...

I hope you don't mind that your joy log made me chuckle a few times. One thing that's interesting about our risks is how they look before we take the plunge and then after. They often seem so large beforehand, then much smaller after. But let's not discount our own courage because of that differential. It is precisely because we have faced them that these risk monsters shrink in their power over us. Thanks for making me smile today! (And thanks for visiting and leaving such a nice a comment)

Nadya said...

I admit, I was also chuckling!
Your week log so reminds me of myself - I love how your talk about Monday AM - going through your 'what ifs??' . . . & that you actually went IN Monday afternoon - cudos!

It made me think of one of my funny tyre stories - I was helping with a week long summer camp at a fun church on the (oregon) coast, & the last day, got in my car, put it in reverse, & there was a SOUND! A squeeky, grindy - is it the transmission? sound . . .

Fortunatly, one of the other helpers & the pastor were still there (tho a guy, the pastor was not AT ALL a car person!) they bundled me into one of their cars & we drove over to a transmission shop, where they both assured me the fellow was great & fair.
I explained the noise, he said he'd go over & check it out, so I left the keys & my phone number, & the gal gave me a ride home (~ 20 min out of town.)
The next day the mechanic called, it WASN'T the transmission, perhaps something with the breaks, but he'd backed it up, & said it would be fine for me to drive across town to one of the tyre/brake shops . . .
& DIDN'T charge me anything, as he'd 'just' stopped on his way to another job :)

So I drove across town (Oh dear, is something wrong with the BRAKES?? What now??) . . . when the tyre guy came out, he was so appologetic (is it going to cost a fortune??) "Mam, I hate to tell you this, but, ummmm . . . . well, there was a Mouse that got caught in your wheel . . . & it's dead . . . we got it out."
Me - rather amazed "& - everything else is OK?? (I mean, poor mouse, but nothing wrong with the car??) "Oh, it's just fine!"
& they didn't charge me, either!!
I was the one over the moon, as I drove home, with no strange squeeks!! & so grateful to all the helpful parties.

Serena Lewis said...

Stepping into unfamiliar territory would have been scary for me too....well done to you, Paula. I'm sorry that you were sooooooooo sick though....I hope you're fully better now ~ :)

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, I also don't like going to new places where I will have to do something I've never done. I can relate.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I am like trying to imagine how I would do chores and address needs in another country on my own. Looks like you did pretty good. Kudos to you!

Tisha said...

I love how you so honestly take us through your whole process day to day. Keep it up!!

becky nielsen said...

Oh, I can remember many years ago when I got furious with my husband because I saw something for sale in the paper that I wanted to buy and I asked him to call and see if the person still had it - I was so nervous about doing that. He wouldn't. He said if I wanted it, I had to call myself. I did, I got the desk - but I was so angry at him. But fortunately I've gotten much better at that sort of thing - there are still times when I can feel myself reluctant to do something that I'm not knowledgeable about - the car, house repairs, etc. So big pats on the back for you this week!

It was a great post!

Glad you've recovered.

becky nielsen said...

I do still have that desk - and I occasionally think about how I got it. It's not a good desk - is in a closet now storing wrapping paper, etc. But you're right - it's a good reminder.

Kim said...

I'm late making my rounds :) Hope you are well on your way to treating yourself for all of the risks you took last week!

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