Keep Your Promise

During the last few months I have discovered how rare it is for humans to keep a promise. It’s easy to make a promise but standing by your word is a lost art.

I’ve learned this during the horrendous consequences of buying a car, but as I look around I realize the problem is everywhere. How many people do you know that keep their promises? Do you keep yours? And do you just expect people to lie?

Has trust been flushed down the toilet?

Last Thursday I threw in the towel, traded in the dreaded “black car” and bought a brand new 2015 Mazda 3. That night I wrote in my journal. “I love this new car but I’m afraid. The last five months are haunting me. Have I made another mistake? Gosh I wish I could just have a little faith.”

All last week, while I test drove cars, mulled over finance options, and dealt with trading in the lemon, the promise from each and every person at Destination Mazda was the same. They were going to make me happy. They were all kind and helpful and sympathetic to my situation and they were going to make me happy. Can I believe them? Are they making promises they will keep? My God, these are car salespeople and history is not in our favour.

It’s hard to trust people. But trust you must.

That night I also looked back at what I had written in my journal a few hours after I bought the black car. “I don’t love it, I should but already there are problems!! Fuck!! Well I promise myself that if I can’t get things fixed and love this car by my birthday I will trade it in and buy one that makes me happy.”

This made me laugh… I had forgotten the promise I made to myself. In all the crap that has gone on with the endless black car issues it had slipped my mind.

Is that what happens? Is that why people break promises? Do they conveniently fail to remember? Or do they ignore the words were ever spoken?

The hardest part of all is to trust again. To look into someone’s eyes and decide whether you are going to believe what they are saying. We’ve all been in this situation and probably it’s happened more than once. The question is, do you have enough faith in mankind to believe again?

Life would be much easier if we all just followed this simple idea…

A promise is a promise.

sunset car

The new car.

 

6 replies
  1. Wendy A.
    Wendy A. says:

    Nice car, but it’s not what really will make you happy, is it? My thought is outside things can create transitory senses of feeling happy and successful but really happiness must come from within and is about how we live our lives.
    Promises to ourselves are part of that equation.
    I do keep promises I make. Others who are recipients of my promises, say for a book, a piece of mail or even a surprise, are like you almost not believing a promise will be kept. Then I turn up and they believe at least I keep my promises.
    The bottom line is we can keep promises we make but have no control over others who may make promises to us.
    Have fun with the new car; drive safely and no use of any mobile device in the vehicle. Oh yes, get your back headrest adjusted properly for your head and neck, as it may not be okay for your height in the seat.
    Not sure when you are having a birthday, but Happy Birthday for whenever it is.

    Reply
    • Tricia
      Tricia says:

      Hi Wendy… I was wondering and waiting for someone to say a new car will not make you happy. And of course I know that. It was never about owning a bright shining object… it all came down to human interactions. And trust.
      Thank you for the birthday wishes and thank you for reading this blog!!!

      Reply
  2. Brenda J. Butler
    Brenda J. Butler says:

    Congrats on the new car – I had a Mazda 323 and loved it. I hope you enjoy your new car. Now I have a Toyota Corolla and I still love my Mazda 323 : -) The Toyota works well, it just isn’t the Mazda.

    A new car won’t “make you happy” but a car that isn’t a lemon won’t “make you mad/harried/frenzied/soak up all your “me” time”. A car that works won’t suck away what happiness you do have.

    Reply
    • Tricia
      Tricia says:

      Brenda… So far so good! I totally agree about “what makes you unhappy”. I’m a big believer in solving problems, turning the page and moving on. If I had wanted to be stressed about a car that took too much time being repaired I would have just stuck with my old Honda. At 240,000 it was starting to fail. BUT no car payments for years had been a dream. And Brenda… thanks for being a long time reader of my blog!!!! I really appreciate it.

      Reply

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