It Is What it Is
It seems that lately I’ve been presented with some challenges—not life-threatening but, in my mind, challenges nonetheless.
The first challenge in this game of dominoes involved my 2012 van. One day, I tried to back out of a parking stall and I got revving, not backing, and then it kicked in and I backed it up. I was thinking, “Hmmm, that’s odd,” but then dismissed the idea that anything was wrong. Well, a few days later, I went to back up again and all I got was revving. Eventually, I was able to coax it out of the parking stall, but then I was thinking, “Oh no, the transmission!”
As I was driving to the transmission shop, it got worse, starting to rev as I was driving forward, but I made it to the shop. Sure enough, my van needed a rebuilt transmission for thousands and thousands (and thousands!) of dollars.
Then came the decision: “Do I spend the money on the van? Buy a new vehicle (at least new to me)? I love my van, with endless adventures and memories connected to those wheels, but it will be an expensive fix. On the other hand, buying another vehicle will be even more expensive.”
The first challenge in this game of dominoes involved my 2012 van. One day, I tried to back out of a parking stall and I got revving, not backing, and then it kicked in and I backed it up. I was thinking, “Hmmm, that’s odd,” but then dismissed the idea that anything was wrong. Well, a few days later, I went to back up again and all I got was revving. Eventually, I was able to coax it out of the parking stall, but then I was thinking, “Oh no, the transmission!”
As I was driving to the transmission shop, it got worse, starting to rev as I was driving forward, but I made it to the shop. Sure enough, my van needed a rebuilt transmission for thousands and thousands (and thousands!) of dollars.
Then came the decision: “Do I spend the money on the van? Buy a new vehicle (at least new to me)? I love my van, with endless adventures and memories connected to those wheels, but it will be an expensive fix. On the other hand, buying another vehicle will be even more expensive.”
In the end, I went with the concept discussed in this month’s feature article on page 12 and accepted the situation for what it was. The van had a problem, and it would cost me a lot no matter which decision I made. From there, it wasn’t a hard decision. I had to get the van fixed; it’s my traveling buddy, after all, and I wasn’t ready to let go. At the time of writing this letter, I still don’t have it back, but I know I made the right choice.
Viewing a situation as “it is what it is,” rather than fussing and worrying—you know, ruminating over something in the hope that miraculously it will suddenly be different—has taken a huge burden off me. It allows me to objectively assess a situation, view a disaster simply as a challenge, and make the best decision for me at the present time, without trying to second-guess the future, where hindsight lives.
Viewing a situation as “it is what it is,” rather than fussing and worrying—you know, ruminating over something in the hope that miraculously it will suddenly be different—has taken a huge burden off me. It allows me to objectively assess a situation, view a disaster simply as a challenge, and make the best decision for me at the present time, without trying to second-guess the future, where hindsight lives.
