Travis is a member of Toastmasters, a public speaking group and had an opportunity to give a testamony to a diverse croud, who's religious beliefs include Christian, Agnostic, Hindu, and Jewish people. Thought you would all like to read it.
About 3 weeks ago, my van was totaled in a head-on collision so violent that the other car spun 180 degrees in one direction, we were knocked 90 degrees in another, and my license plate was severed.
Fortunately, everyone, from the driver of the SUV to my wife and kids in the van, was not seriously injured. But if you have ever been in an accident, you can understand my frustration of having to total out a car and purchase a new one. Added to this frustration, was the recent memory of shelling out $400 for new tires on a van that I can no longer drive, and the fact that I was 2 months away from paying off the van. My wife and I were going to take our tax return and pay off the van so we could double-pay on the loan for my car. The remainder of the tax return was going to go towards our first ever family vacation that didn’t involve sleeping at my parent’s or my in-law’s house. Now, that money would have to be used as a down payment for another car, and our dreams of reducing our debt so we can ensure a good credit score as we look for a bigger house were now crushed and utterly destroyed.
But the story doesn’t end there. What happened over the next few weeks was opposite of Lemony Snicket, where we had a series of fortunate events! First, we found favor with our Claims handler in replacing our car seats. Second, we found favor with the insurance adjuster, who gave us the NADA retail value of our car, rather than the average value. This paid off the loan, and gave us the exact same amount of vacation money we had set aside...(third) with an added extra $100. Fourth, we found out that a new friend of ours worked for his father at a wholesale auction house, and we could purchase a used car for cheap. Fifth, his father found out that we occasionally watched his grand-baby, and he sold us the car at wholesale price, taking no commission for himself. We ended up getting a 2005 Grand Caravan, loaded with stow-n-go, automatic doors and lift gate, with 47000 miles for 6,200.
And what’s more amazing, is (sixth) that we bought this van for $300 cheaper than the first one, which meant we had no problems being approved for a loan. Then good fortune shined on us a seventh time when we went to sign the papers for the loan on the Grand Caravan. Apparently, since we were financing so little of the value of the car, we got another reduction in our interest rate; final APR was 4.95%. Truly what started out as being a terrible situation was turned around for the better, not once, twice, or three times, but 7 times over!
Which has me wondering, was this just luck? If so, then I should buy a lottery ticket. Was it just fate? I’m a pretty nice guy, so was simply “what goes around, comes around” playing out in reality? If so, did I use all my good fortune on the car? I have 6 people in a 3 bedroom ranch and NEED bigger house! I’d rather use the good fortune on a new house, then on a car. Or, was this the handiwork of an unseen force in the universe that bestowed on me good favor when I was at a bad spot in my life? And if that’s true, then why me? Aren’t others more deserving, or in more need? What intrinsic value do I have that I should receive good fortune? And what is my response to the benevolent benefactor, whomever he/she is? Are there strings attached, or is this a free gift?
These are tough questions; but they must be asked, and they deserve to be answered. I hope you’ll contemplate them the next time you experience some good fortune in your life.
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