101 Uses for a Vintage LIMO #4: CONFIDENCE BOOSTER AFTER AN ACCIDENT

Did you ever have the experience of not knowing what you were getting into?

Just the phrase itself brings to mind a lot of scary moments for me. Like the time I decided I was going to live in the "poor district" of Cairo, Egypt to have a more "realistic experience of the city" or the time I decided to drive to Colorado (11 hours) by myself, or the time I decided it would be a good idea to take a photo of a rescricted military area and I was arrested...the list could go on.

But THIS TIME, "not knowing what I was getting into" has turned out to be all good. I didn't really give owning a LIMO a lot of thought. It just started out as an intuitive feeling. The ideas about sharing it with friends, sharing it with others and having fun with it came after my own experiences of driving the limo around for one day. That one day of driving inspired all these ideas. Because when you drive in a limo something happens. And you don't realize it until you are actually in one.

You can see them on the street and sit in one for a bit, but there are a lot of things I never realized until I got behind the wheel of the car. Here is a list of things that happened to me in just one day:

1. At least half the people I passed on bikes, cars or walking stopped to stare and point or smile at the limo. A few people looked impressed. A man in a rennovated Jaguar looked at it with admiration (ok, so I can't take credit for the work, but I get to drive it). All those stares of admiration just made me feel so special! I basked in a feeling of SPECIALNESS.

2. I got a lot of respect on the road. I wanted to merge into the right lane a few times and people actually slowed down to let me in instead of wizzing past me to "get past me before I merged". I went from feeling like this beaten-down taken advantage-of-by-the-bigger cars-driver to this respected driver. What a change! I basked in RESPECT.

3. I realized I had to be a lot more careful when I was driving a limo. No way can you drink coffee or talk on the cell phone (which you shouldn't do anyway, but at least you CAN do it in a smaller car) and you have to consider carefully how you turn, where you are going to park and which streets you want to take so you won't be stuck in a lot of left turns. It takes a lot of concentration and skill to manuver these limos. I felt really proud of myself that I could do this so I basked in a feeling of PRIDE.

4. As I was driving around I realized that nobody was telling me I could not buy this car. Nobody was telling me I shouldn't buy this car. I was a single mom, independant and nobody was running my life anymore. I am my own boss and if I want to own a limo I can and I DID! I felt a sense of FREEDOM for the first time in years.

5. I enjoyed being able to take the 1st grade neighbor girl and her friend on a spontaneous limo ride around the block and being able to offer it to my daughter's best friend for her birthday. Watching the smiles on these girls' faces made me feel a sense of SELF-WORTH. Ok, I admit, I do a lot of service work, so I feel that a lot anyway, but I love the feeling of being able to make people happy :)

6. I enjoyed showing my children the car for the first time and letting them take their friends around in it. One of the many reasons I purchased the car is because, as a mother, I want my kids to have the most fun they can have as children. Sometimes I feel I grew up to fast. Offering my kids the opportunity to ride in a limo for a while was a way I could express my LOVE to them and my feeling that THEY ARE SPECIAL to me. And they do feel that way. (see the story in the next post). I basked in the feeling of MOTHERLY LOVE.

7. As I admired the interior of the car and the outside I realized how many hours and how much work "phil" had put into the car and I felt this warm glow - the kind you get when you purchase a nice art piece from a crafter or artist. You purchase because you enjoy the piece but also because you want to show your admiration and support and honor a person who has put so much love into that art. I felt the same way as I was driving the car around. I felt like I had taken a great piece of art out of hiding and was allowing the artist to shine and the world to enjoy it. I felt HAPPY and JOYFUL.

The feelings and experiences I had when I drove the car that first day were so powerful and positive and that was what inspired me to want to share those feelings. I never realized I would experience all those positive feelings just because I purchased a limo. I was actually feeling a bit depressed for the past month and that all seems to have vanished now. Not because I own a nice car, but because of the feelings it evoked in me. I am sure many things can evoke those feelings - eating Hagen Daaz also evokes positive emotion in me - but in this case it was a surprise that a limo could be such a powerful personal experience.

I certainly didn't know what I was getting into!