I meant to share this here, like, a month ago… but alas—time got away from me in the midst of all the car drama, and I totally forgot.
But sometimes the 5,678 notes I keep on my phone come in handy—because when I scroll through to clean them up, I stumble on little gems like this one.
A random story with big feelings. And great little nuggets of wisdom wrapped inside.
So I figured I’d share it here—for you. You, as in the one person who’s probably reading this blog. HA!
If you ever want to REALLY follow along with me, I’m a big IG stories girl, so this is where the post originated.
It all started when we were hoping to get me a non-stinky, non-shaky rental (my 4th rental in like 3 days to be exact) while we waited on my car. Which, by the way, never came back to me, Ellie the Escalade—may she rest in peace. You can meet my new ride below, her name is TBD.
Enterprise had told us they’d have a car ready to go if we came in on Friday (this was June 20th btw) - so we showed up and….no car.
Anywho, after sharing this (see image), in my stories, I gathered my thoughts & this is what I came up with, which is the moral of the story & hopefully a lesson you can take away from it:
So, when she got to the part where she said they didn’t have the car they promised me yesterday…
I looked at her (and Aaron) and said:
“I have to go outside. I’m just frustrated. It’s not you; it’s me.”
Then I walked out and cried. And also texted my bestie to vent.
And the voice in my head immediately chimed in:
“You’re overreacting.”
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Why are you crying?”
“It’s temporary. It’s a rental. Get over it.”
But here’s the truth:
I’m not mad. I’m just… sad. Disappointed. Frustrated.
And that voice in my head?
It’s the same one so many women hear—
Or that we first heard as little kids..
The underlying message?
“Don’t be too much.”
“Don’t take up space with your feelings.”
“Feelings are big. Feelings are scary. Just don't go there.”
There’s no Feelings 101 course that teaches us how to name them, feel them, and just be freaking human.
So instead—
We bottle it up.
We stuff it down.
We yell… when what we actually need is a good cry and a damn hug.
But here’s what I know now:
Feeling the feeling is the only way through it.
And if you actually allow it, most feelings pass in 90 seconds or less.
So walking outside was my reset.
Was I still upset when I walked back in? Yes—but I didn’t react from it.
Old me wouldn’t have even acknowledged what was happening in her body.
Old me may not have even known she was sad, frustrated, or disappointed.
She would’ve 100% blamed how she was feeling on them and “their mistake,” taking zero ownership for how she was about to show up in the situation.
She would’ve been a lil' spicy with the employee.
Made a (minor) scene that would’ve solved nothing… and only made her (her, as in old me) feel worse afterwards.
Instead, I breathed into what I was feeling.
Because I miss my car.
I miss the comfort and the familiarity.
I’m the one who drives us everywhere.
And these little tests being thrown at us just feel amplified during what has already been a whirlwind of a week.
Convenience is such a luxury we take for granted—and when inconveniences get thrown our way in bulk (LOL), it’s easy to slip into victim mode.
But the best thing we can do?
Acknowledge the sadness. The disappointment. The frustration.
And then focus on what we can control.
We carry so much—often without speaking about any of it—that when something small goes sideways, like a rental car…
It’s usually not about just that one thing.
It may be the final straw that breaks you that day though.
It’s not just crying about the rental.
It’s crying because you’ve been holding everything else together.
Because of all the other small pieces that add up.
It’s not being dramatic.
It’s being human.
You’re allowed to feel disappointed.
(You’re allowed to cry outside of Enterprise.)
And you don’t need to say sorry for it.
Long Story Short:
Most of us were never taught how to feel our feelings—
And some of us:
Are afraid to show them in case someone else thinks we’re “too much.”
Have ZERO idea how to process them without reacting in an unregulated way or falling into “the world is against me” mode. (aka victim mode)
That doesn’t mean your emotions aren’t valid.
It just means it’s possible to handle them in a more regulated, grounded way.
And you don’t have to bottle them up, shrink yourself, or pretend everything’s fine just to make other people more comfortable.
Meet the New Ride
Because my ADHD brains always come with a side story: after searching, debating and crying…I opted to not get another Escalade. Since mine was a 2024, there was only one left in the US that was my EXACT match, in Texas. Same color. Same features. All of it. But trying to recreate my car felt misaligned. And to be honest, I am not a fan of the 2025 changes. So I decided to keep to go full on sporty with an AT4 Ultimate.
It has all the bells and whistles as my Escalade (plus some) but she can handle a curb like a pro, LOL.
I don’t know that from experience, but I do know the wheels aren’t low profile in the new ride -I don’t know if that is the right term but I am like 75% confident it is…
As I type this, she is at the shop getting a “chrome delete” so she will be all blacked out when she comes back to me!