Feeling It At the Pump...

Wow, it's been almost a week since my last post.  My laptop died...actually it's still dead (I'm working on a borrowed laptop from work).  I'm back now and ready to share!  :-)

Last Saturday I drove up to Los Angeles for work and to attend my good friend's 40th birthday party.  I filled my car up before I left.  My tank was just about on empty so as I stood at the pump listening to the stream of gas pouring into my tank, I watched the pump dollar display get higher, and higher.  And higher.  Finally, it stopped at $57.68.  I stood there shaking my head thinking, I don't know if I have ever spent that much to put gas in my personal car before.   

Two days later (today), I had to fill my tank again.  Once again I was almost on "E".  I listened, waited and watched the pump display.  During this time a guy pulled up and started pumping gas in his car.  We began talking and he went on a mini-tirade about the high cost of gas.  I understood his frustration.  $4.11 per gallon is pretty expensive.  When he went inside of the store, I began thinking about a time when gas was no where near as expensive as it is now, and even then, there were times when I could only afford to put $5 in here or $10 in there.

When my pump stopped, I put the nozzle away and I looked up at the display.  $60.43.  I was taken aback but I made a choice right then and there about how I was going to respond to the price tag. 

I wished the man well, got in my car and looked up at the pump display once again to confirm the amount.  $60.43.  Once inside my car I took a minute to thank God for blessing me with a car and the means to be able to fill up the tank.  Then I drove off. 

Why is it so easy to settle our minds on the most shocking and depressing parts of our story?  The negative parts.  The part that garners the most attention.  Conditioning forces our attention to drama and thoughts of lack.  When I thought about how much it cost to fill my tank, I immediately felt stress.  When I began to look at the cost of gas from a different perspective, one of abundance and blessings, my emotions immediately changed from feeling stressed to feeling peace and gratefulness. 

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
                                                                                   -Wayne Dyer