Gratitude Discussion Group

I knew something was happening to my brakes yesterday and it was so subtle. At the end of pressing the pedal, there wasn't as much resistance as there should be. The pedal felt like it was pressing too far down, but only at the bottom end of the stroke. I could stop the car easily, but it also could creep a bit with the brake pedal depressed and that shouldn't happen. I was out with my mom at one of her doctor appointments. After I dropped her off at her home, I called the auto repair shop and made an appointment for today. I drove home with the flashers on and kept my speed under 30 and manually downshifted to 2nd and first gear when I needed to stop, and then applied the brakes with my hand on the emergency brake just in case. I would like to thank the drivers who were patient with me even though they didn't know my slow speed was a precaution for everyone's safety. There were several who flashed their brights at me and and passed me as fast as possible. I didn't worry about that because I had to focus and think through my every move to keep control of the car, and I wasn't going to drive at an unsafe speed no matter what criticism I got. If there was a safe place, I pulled over and let traffic pass several times on my way home, and when I got home, I had less in braking ability. I cautiously drove my car to the shop this morning with the same precautions using mostly 2nd and first gear. I avoided highways as much as possible, and when I did need to drive on the 50MPH road, rush hour had it at a crawl. That was just perfect for me! I got through all that driving safely and I had given myself lots of extra time to slow my disabled car down as I began that long before I got close to where I needed to stop. And, yes, as I suspected, my left brake line had opened up from the front to the back and lost the brake fluid. It caused the calipers to seize and contact the rotors, so I had an expensive repair today, but I count my blessings because I knew what was wrong, and how to handle the situation to get home safely. I'm glad this didn't happen a few weeks ago when I'd made a solo drive up to Mayo. That was only because I had appointments, and my husband could not get time off from his job.

I'll need to tell another car repair story. I used to have a pickup truck with a serpentine belt that ran everything and recharged the battery. One Sunday, we had visited a friend, and when we left that night, the serpentine belt broke. We didn't want to intrude, so we tried to get home, but the head lights were getting dimmer, and we wouldn't make it, so we stopped and stayed at a motel on the way home. We called our friend and made arrangements for him to come help us in the morning. So the three of us went to an auto parts store and bought the belt and an adjustable wrench. The only problem was that my rescuers didn't know how to install the belt. They didn't want to be interrupted while they were thinking, so I had to wait until they scratched their heads. Then I took the wrench and fixed it in a minute. Oh how sweet that was, and I showed them the little diagram under the hood that showed how to thread the belt and the lever that lets you loosen and tighten it. I didn't grow up repairing vehicles, but I had watched a repairman do the exact same repair on this truck several years earlier even before I had met my husband. I guess the story here is be grateful for the things that go wrong and learn from them.

@jenniferhunter Glad you are okay, and made it safely home and then to repair shop today. Bet you didn't let on to your mother, either, so as not to concern her unduly, right?

@gingerw I told her after I got her to her home. She also had an appointment today that I had to cancel and she's elderly and doesn't drive. I didn't tell her much except that I think the problem with the brakes was starting. It was on my way home after that when it was getting worse. I'm thankful that it wasn't worse when I had her in the car and that the brakes were still kind of functional at that point.

@gingerw After a nice rain and holiday luncheon I saw a beautiful rainbow very brilliant M grateful to have seen it.

Carrie @careyd - I'm in St. Augustine, FL. What about you? I'm hoping things get easier for you every day and I believe they will! And @parus - I'm sorry I can't share with you how to muster up the discipline to exercise. I didn't manage that today. LOL. Tomorrow, I hope I can do it and if so I'll share whatever motivates me! @jenniferhunter - you truly have something to be grateful for. I'm thankful, too, that you got home safely! Scary story. Finally @lioness - thanks for sharing your rainbow. I could imagine it. Beautiful.

@debbraw Thanks! I did fine and the car is fixed now. It was going to be a 5 hour job, so they drove me home today and we picked it up this evening.

In MN. Cold here. Wish I were in St. Augustine. Love that area!!

@lucylee
I was just thinking about you and your friend. I hope you had a good trip to Mayo and that your friend is getting some help. I would love to get an update at your convenience.

Good morning to all. I am grateful to be inside...View from my bedroom window. BRRRRRR.

Today I am grateful for a warm home. It is COLD outside. I am also grateful for coffee and that it's Friday!! 🙂