junkyard dogs

I don't think I've ever actually been to a junkyard, but yesterday I had the opportunity to go and look for an auto part for a friend. Since i haven't traveled anywhere recently, I often explore new places within my own city and always have exciting adventures when doing so! Before leaving for the junkyard I called to find out if they had the part I needed, and if not if they could direct me to a nearby junkyard that might have it. To my surprise, they did not even know what they had and indicated that I needed to look for it myself, but that they were the only junkyard open on a Sunday. I had my agenda and realized the best way to tackle it would be to just go down there and rummage around - how fun this would be!

Upon my arrival to the junkyard I was asked to pay a $2 entry fee and at that point I described specifically what I was looking for to the man at the entrance. He basically told me i was on my own, that they may or may not have the car/part I was looking for, and that they did not have any tools I could use. I remained optimistic, followed his directions to the Volkswagen section, and stood in awe of all the hundreds of gutted-out cars around the yard. As the hot sun beat down on my shoulders, I wandered up and down several aisles of cars, some stacked 3-4 cars high. The first correct model VW i found was missing the exact part i needed, so i kept looking. I immediately found another one, but this time the part was rusted into the frame, and the car was on a hill at such an angle that I was barely able to climb to the top to examine it. But I did not give up hope.

As I continued on my quest, I quickly found the perfect car with the necessary parts intact. Unfortunately I only had a phillips screwdriver with me, and the part was bolted in. Just then, a man appeared carrying a tool box, his wife with an umbrella to shade herself from the sun. They were customers just like me, but I did not hesitate to approach him in my need for assistance, and he gladly entertained my solicitation. I believe their appearance was not only divine timing but also divine providence. When I told him i needed a tool that unscrews bolts, to my surprise he opened his case and it was full of wrenches, in every imaginable size and configuration. It took him less than 1 minute to remove the part from the car, perfectly flawless. No sooner did I thank him with the utmost appreciation, did he and his wife disappear completely and I did not see them again!

I was utterly amazed at how easy it was to get in and out of the junkyard, and after chatting with the cashier about my findings, realized that I did not have lightbulbs to go along with the tail light fixture I had just excavated. She urged me to go back into the yard and find my lightbulbs, that she would not charge me extra for them. It was at this point that I delved into a more serious level of exploration. In returning to the car on which I had found the part i needed, I noticed that the trunk was filled with dirt. I began digging in the dirt to look for bulbs, but instead found only interesting pieces of debris and surprisingly an old punk rock CD which I listened to the whole way home! I went back to each of the model VWs that I had seen, but none of them had lightbulbs - so i began to browse through similar models and finally managed to salvage the appropriate bulbs. The entire process was so invigorating, I not only felt accomplished but also an overwhelming feeling of divine intervention and peace in my quest. As for the junkyard dogs I'd heard so much about, I didn't encounter any, only kindhearted helpful people - thus I knew this exciting endeavor was truly meant to be.

consequence or punishment?

Today while in the gym, I caught a few minutes of Larry King Live, a program on CNN which I rarely watch. During a station break, tomorrow's show was previewed, which will feature Jenny McCarthy, former model, actress and MTV host. She will be interviewed on the program on World Autism Day, because her 4-year old son has Autism and she is currently trying to make her voice heard in a medical controversy over vaccinations for the disease. I am rarely compelled by "entertainment news" but this story caught my attention as relevant to an ongoing theme in my life surrounding "consequences" of a person's actions, otherwise known as Karma.

Fellow Scorpio Jenny McCarthy started her career as a runway model, but quickly became involved in the pornography industry, most famous for posing in Playboy Magazine. She continued to live a lifestyle of glamorous promiscuity as a host on MTV's Singled Out, a trendy "dating" show and in her heyday was the fantasy of nearly every man with a pulse on the planet. Such a beautiful woman with such amazing accomplishments, she could get any man she wanted - what a wonderful life - or was it? She did eventually get married and have a son, but he was born with Autism, and she recently got a divorce after 6 years, still struggling with this unfair punishment in her life - so devastating for such a wonderful woman. You've heard it said, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Yes people are intrinsically good, but we were born with "free will" which allows us to choose our own adventures.

The other night at a dance club, I got into a conversation with a young woman in her 20's about the negativity she projects wherever she goes. The conversation started when she bluntly exclaimed "I hate people!" In my generally kind-hearted uninhibited optimism, I blurted, "Wait a minute, do you realize what you just said? You hate PEOPLE? Aren't YOU a PEOPLE? What about all your friends, and the people in this room?" She started rattling off the types of people in particular she "hated", and it boiled down to the people who did her wrong, or had wrong attitudes, perhaps projected even inadvertently. I said "so you hate the haters, people that hurt you, or people that spread lies about you?" The bartender chimed in "unless they're true" (which seemed to suggest a closed-minded attitude negating multiple perspectives, though possibly a Karma issue for HIM). I told her she should be cautious of making those kinds of statements because the negative energy you put out there will come back to you in SOME form, like affecting her health, or something happening to her car. She immediately retorted "my car got impounded, so I don't have to worry about that!" She explained that it got impounded due to a series of unpaid parking tickets! I could not believe what I was hearing, and I don't believe that she was hearing my point. She is lucky it was JUST her car, but what's next for her life? Negative breeds negative, and spreads like poison - what kind of lifestyle will you choose for yourself?

The Golden Rule in life is to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". The laws of Karma basically echo the same, the attitudes, actions, and energy you put out there will "come back to you" in some form. I can also speak from personal experience as the consequences (or punishment) of my own actions. My car has been vandalized and broken into several times over the years, as well as other mechanical car failures, and I have been involved in accidents (both to my body and my car). I often affectionately call it "bad karma car", but the car is just an inanimate object indirectly taking the beating for my poor choices, negative attitude, and immoral behaviors, thus the need arises to repeatedly deal with it as my "punishment". Fortunately the car still runs and can be fixed every time, symbolizing to me that once we realize there are consequences for our actions, we can also "fix" our lives and adjust our perspectives AND our actions.

Like Jenny McCarthy, my sexual sins (however glamorous in my previous "Brazilian dancer" lifestyle) resulted in a form of physical punishment, to my own body rather than the bodies of my offspring (as I currently have none). Through a tumultuous process last summer which required serious prayer and meditation as well as taking a particular herb from the Amazon Rainforest, God ultimately healed my body of a pre-cancerous condition on my cervix, caused by an STD known as HPV. According to the doctors, my rapid healing was highly uncommon, as I had the disease for several years and had to have it treated in the past because of the way it spread. So a lot of people wonder why I go to church, and the simple reason is that I have God to thank - without Him I might have cancer, or be dead. His Grace is available to even those who have lived a life of promiscuity, He can reverse the curse you have brought upon yourself. Its totally up to you as an individual whether you accept this free gift, or if you want to keep living your life projecting negativity, acting immorally, or treating people with disrespect. Your "punishment" may be more or less extreme than mine, Jenny's, or the 20-something in the bar, but there WILL be consequences for your actions. If not in your life directly, the "sins of the fathers" will be carried onto their sons.