A Windshield Story – When Glass Cracks

Windshield Trouble

I woke up right at 8 AM this morning and after getting cleaned up, headed to Mission Bay to have breakfast.  Going to the gym and getting a shower was on the agenda, but I wasn’t feeling any rush to go.  I ate, read the news, checked the weather forecast, chatted with a friend, etc.  

Around 9:45 AM, finally feeling motivated to do something, I headed for the gym.

I was on the Highway for less than 2 minutes when I heard a loud pop.  I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a 4 inch crack right below my oil change sticker.  Leaning forward, I could see the impact point at the edge of the glass.  

Not able to inspect it while driving, I gently smudged the end of the crack so I could see if it grew. By the time I arrived at the gym it was 2 inches longer than when it happened.  Not bad, but not great.

My Labor Day Crack

I went straight into the Gym locker room, sat on the bench and filed a claim through my insurance app. I knew I had some level of coverage for glass but had no idea it was fully covered with no out-of-pocket if I use Safelite.  Bonus!  I can definitely live with that.  

Since the crack is “longer than a dollar bill”, my insurance is paying to replace the windshield.  I was even able to schedule my appointment through my insurance app.  Guess what I’m doing tomorrow?  🙂

In the end, what could have been a major frustration, is going to end up being a minor inconvenience.

Automatic Attitude Adjustment

After everything was resolved with the windshield, I reflected on my reaction to the situation.  I felt no upset at all through the entire thing.  I wasn’t mad, I didn’t feel like a victim, no feeling of defeat, nothing negative in the least.

In the moment it happened, I started thinking about my options and began developing a plan. I would check my insurance and file a claim if I could.  If I couldn’t, I remembered I knew a great glass place in Chula Vista that has super reasonable prices.  

My mind jumped to finding a fix instead of focusing on the difficulty. That feels like personal growth!

When I started on the path to be a more optimistic, I would instantly go to negative thoughts and have to consciously work on turning them into a positive, or a ‘hey that’s just life’ feeling. Today I had an automatic positive response!

10 years ago, I remember wishing for a day I didn’t have to force myself to see the positive.  I wished for a time when it would happen automatically (or ‘automagically’ as I am fond of saying).  So while I still have moments of ‘automatic negative thinking‘, I feel really good about where I am.  Dr. Dyer would be proud.

True nobility is not about being better than anyone else, it is about being better than you used to be.  ~Dr. Wayne Dyer

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#shower #vanlife #windshield #vanrepair #vandwelling #dailylife #Stuffhappens #vanrepairs