Tuesday.....

.......is to be my day for trying something new - whether witchy related or not.

 Today I actually listened.

That sounds obvious but when you take on board what I was actually listening to you will understand.  My husband is so badly affected by his health problems that he is entitled to a car on the Motability car scheme.  We got our first car in 2009 and it is due to be upgraded this summer.  You don't buy the car, you lease it.  If you meet the criteria of something called Disability Living Allowance and you receive the highest mobility rate, then you can swap your money for a car.  You have to have at least one year left on your claim and you must be receiving the highest rate, and ideally be receiving this money long term - my husband has his for life as he will never get any better, in fact he will get progressively worse.
So, we had an appointment to see our dealership today and I was determined that I was not going to come away with anything less than what I wanted.  My husband has never drove so it falls to me to do the driving and I guess the car really needs to meet my standards more than his.
Before we went there I insisted that we would go elsewhere if things weren't up to my expectations and DH agreed.  As soon as we went in I knew that I wasn't going to get the type of car I wanted, or at least had hoped for.  Usually this is the point where I would close my mind and either terminate the meeting or just switch off from what is being said.  I have usually made my mind up to have things my way or no way.

But because I have insisted on trying something new each Tuesday I thought I could actually really listen to what this guy had to say.  So I listened and I took in all he had to say and I actually learnt a thing or two.  I may not have the exact car I wanted in terms of size and boot space - don't ask! - but I have a newer model of our current car and boy the gadgets in it are just awesome!

We don't actually get our car until mid August, these things take time and there are all the relevant paperwork checks to go through, but I am quite happy with what we are getting.  If I hadn't listened I would have insisted that we went elsewhere and probably ended up with a bigger car, but we would have been out of pocket on the fuel front and I wouldn't be getting my on-board snazzy gadgets.

Try something new Tuesday has taught me that bigger isn't always better, and sometimes it pays to sacrifice what you think you want.  It has taught me that I switch off from people too easily when I have already made my mind up about something and I can see how this has gotten me into trouble in the past.  It is a lesson I needed to learn and I am going to be taking on board the lesson I have learnt and utilise it in my life.