A crazy thing happened yesterday as my Toyota Camry Hybrid was moving through a car wash. The emergency button started flashing on my dashboard alerting me to the fact that my battery was extremely low. This was accompanied by another message – that my battery could not recharge because I was in neutral. I have gone through this car wash countless times and this never happened before.  My heart started racing.  I thought this is another indication of the “black cloud” that I have perceived to be hanging over my head this year.  What happens when your car dies in the middle of a car wash conveyor belt?

 

 

I decided I had to believe I had enough juice.  When I came out the other side, I put my foot on the brake (the battery charges when you do that).  The car wash attendant yelled at me.  I showed him my dashboard.  He waved me through.

 

I knew I needed to drive a bit in local traffic, which would necessitate my breaking.  After about 10 minutes, my battery was fine.

 

As is my practice, I always look for a message in my mishaps. Here’s what I deduced:

• You can run out of steam but you need to keep on going.
• You have to trust that you will be okay.
• You have the resources to troubleshoot a situation.
• You have to conserve your energy.

 

Yes.  I even find lessons in a car wash. Hope you find some inspiration in my story.