All That Glitters Is Not Gold & Reflections of a Car Deal

Lessons come in all sorts of packages. And, a beautiful, poignant poem from a recently found journal of my late brother's. 

For the YouTube version of this episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AABp82bfR7g


For more about Thom Dharma Pollard, about personal coaching or his inspirational presentations, virtual or in person, look for him at eyesopenproductions.com

To join his mailing list for A Course In Happiness, email him at thom.dharma.pollard@gmail.com

Transcript

Thom Pollard: 1:01

This is the happiness quotient. This is Thom Pollard, thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen, I appreciate it. I appreciate you. Thank you. I am inserting into this episode of The happiness quotient, a YouTube video that essentially goes You don't need to see it. But if you would like to see it instead of listen to it, it is on my YouTube channel on YouTube, the happiness quotient and if you type that in in the search bar, you'll find it easily it will also be in the liner notes of this episode, I'm going to share with you a little bit about my brother and an old journal that I found of his with a very beautiful poem written inside, as well as this experience of buying a car not too long ago and learning a lesson. Let's put it that way. So before I let you go into my YouTube verse, Be sure that you subscribe, share, like comment leave ratings, it helps a long way in getting more people to know about the happiness quotient. And here we go. The birds are active this morning. It's 730 near Hart's location in New Hampshire, I just wanted to do a quick check in I was going through I can hear some geese to geese. Yeah, yesterday, those two geese went to land in the tiny pond down the dirt road here. And when they saw me they, as they were coming in for landing, they saw me went around and just took off and flew over to this pond over, behind and to the left of the camera. And so I'm hoping that they found some peace today and were able to land in the pond. I am standing literally in the middle of bird feeder activity. I essentially just throw all the bird seeds out on this banister, and the red squirrels, gray squirrels now the Chipmunks are coming out. We've had about 10 different varieties of birds, there's a little bit of SUID over here that they haven't really discovered. But this is the center of all activity. And the big windows are here to the right of the camera. It's my favorite little spot. I wanted to do a quick video today I was going through storage yesterday. And I came through a box that had some effects from my brother, Jeff, and here's one of his journals. And I was moved, obviously, you know, when you see stuff from somebody you love that's not around anymore, it brings you right back as if they're alive, and they're never not alive in your mind. And so Jeff had been quite the artist, and he had these plans for a poetry box. And this This is the plans for this poetry box that he was interested in doing. And this is a little case that you'd pull drawers out. And it would be shreds of old poems. And and then in in the open top might be photographs, hidden photographs of family members and things like that. And in that same storage box was this small wooden box and it had been broken into about 20 pieces. And so I came up with this idea that perhaps I would get together some of my brother's old friends, designers, artists, and see if they might be interested in putting a book together with his poetry boxes and the poems that he wrote. And this poem. This This isn't exactly is another drawing of his. That's the st. Alvar portrait. My grandfather's name was St. Alvar. So this is pretty fitting poem of Jeff probably written in 1997. I would imagine around the time that Jeffrey and Adrian moved to Livingston, Montana to the Paradise Valley valley where fly fishing was King and is king. I am a traveler. I am a traveler, but sitting stationary, and the country is moving past me. All in motion, all connected, revolving around each other, all together one thing, I don't belong yet. And, well, he was gone. Seven years later, about eight years later, and I found other homes that were very similar, this beautiful journal that only has like probably just a few pages written. And I honestly don't quite know what to do if I should use this journal to make remarks about him or her. Well, growing up, huh, growing up, I am leaving for Cape Cod, today, I'm going to go visit an old old friend. That friend is not old, 10 years older than me. And it's an interesting visit, because that friend reached out to me and asked for a favor. And as you know, I have the happiness quotient podcast. And I made an offer to pretty much any people that I know and care about and have something remarkable or insightful to say that, that I would provide a forum for them if need be, or at least would be able to do some recording if I had the time on my hands. And so this friend asked me to go visit the family on Cape Cod. And I'm going to record an interview probably tomorrow morning, I won't get down there till five and spend some time down there in the evening. And then in the morning, we'll wake up and we'll record an interview about a monumental and significant event in that person's life. And I have been entrusted with that. And so it's pretty, it's pretty incredible. I feel like somber in the responsibility of it and actually am excited and a little bit nervous. This is huge in a person's life. And that will soon be an episode on the happiness quotient. And I'll share it with you all. And that will be soon it will be in the next couple of weeks. So pretty, pretty interesting things to think about that. So on to another thing before I let you all go if you're still with me. So yeah, I've recently bought a car, ooh, now everybody knows what I drive a car that's 15 years old. I literally had gone three years without an automobile. And well, I loaned my main set of wheels to my oldest, and that was well worth it. I just wasn't that busy. And when I went to Mount Everest, in 2019, my son had that car. And I borrowed it occasionally on weekends. But fortunately didn't really need a lot of transportation. And then COVID came, that car was totaled in an accident, no human beings were injured in it. But as you know, the that COVID was not only devastating from a health standpoint, and many lives were lost and are still being lost, even though it's not really in the news. But from a financial standpoint, it was pretty devastating to a lot of people and it wasn't devastating to me, but I got shut down. I went, I'd say probably 10 months, it was about 10 months without a single billable day. Like oh my gosh, so any reserves that that were around were depleted. It was it was vicious, but one of the things that fell by the wayside or at least I wasn't that worried about was the idea of having a car. So after leaving Everest coming home from Everest in 2019, to recently to about three or four weeks ago, I didn't have a car and I decided to buy a car and I decided like Okay, it's time let's let's get a car and do this. You know, I'm starting to get busy again. And well, so I found I was really really really really really picky about the car that I was going to buy and so I went on Craigslist and I went on all sorts of websites like car vana and then I went I looked through dealerships it was going to be a used car, I didn't want to buy a new car. I didn't mind about mileage. I just wanted a car that somebody took good care of. And and I contacted a lot of people and anybody that seemed even slightly just off I scratched the deal I wasn't going to buy a car from if you see the pictures on the first sale ads if you see in the background like a junk show on in the person's yard or something no way like if they leave their yard like that, how do they take care of their car right? So I find this Volvo love XC 70s and it that the pictures were meticulous in the house in the background really nice this Cape in South Freeport, Maine. And granted it was a little, a little bit of a drive for me to get there. But everything about it looked great. The car spotless, absolutely dialed in for a car that's 1415 years old, like this thing is in mint shape. And it was at the very top end of the Kelley Blue Book and I thought, Okay, well they've taken good care of it. So take it for a test drive, have a buddy of mine meet me over there, Steve meets me who works in the area. He's a used car guru. He's probably bought 200 used cars over the years and knows how to make a 12 or 15 year old car work. He's got three kids and each of them have probably had five used cars over the years. So we go for a test ride all systems go brand new tires, the brakes are good. The car hums beautifully. Stereo rocks, Windows work, he back seats are even heated everything and it checks out. I do a VIN check. What did I not do? No, I did not go to a mechanic to have them do a code test on it. I trusted these people they seemed really really kind and nice and outgoing kinda like me maybe 10 years older. And I just thought you know what these people are so into their stuff. Their house was absolutely spotless, like, literally look like a cleaning person had just been through cleaning. It was meticulous and I thought perfect. This is the people I'm looking for to buy a car. So I couldn't drive the car home that day. I gave them the cash for the car. I took out a not a great percentage rate loan, believe me COVID wasn't kind to me. I paid them cash for the car. So it was essentially mine went back two days later, they were not home to pick up the car. About 45 minutes later, check engine light goes on. Oh, awesome. So I get one of those code readers the next day, texted them say hey, you know, the the check engine light went on? Well, our mechanic said all you do is you unplug the battery, and you put it back in it the check engine light goes off. And I'm thinking to myself, Oh, great. So it still doesn't pass inspection. If there's a problem with the car, the code ultimately has to reset, and they won't pass inspection until it resets. Turns out it needs a new catalytic converter. We're talking 1200 1400 bucks probably. I let the people know nothing. Nothing, not a word from them. Apparently, there is no recourse. I don't know if I have any rights to go to court to ask them for that money or at least split it. I love the car. In my opinion, it's worth paying that extra money to keep it I'm going to get yours out of this thing. It's got great mileage and nothing these people who have a beautiful house in South Freeport, Maine, which is if you will, you know not not a crappy section have another house on Sugarloaf Mountain as a ski family had four cars one of the cars in their garage was covered under one of those car tarps with fine silky material so they have some fancy car and here's this guy walks in unbeknownst to them whatever but haha we're gonna see if we can't screw this guy over for whatever the check engine light is and then they give me the intel on how to make the check engine light go off. So I'm stuck with about a $1,400 bill on this car that's paid for that I want and you just the things you learn about people all that glitters is not gold. I guess that's the that's the that's really the essence of what I'm talking about today. All that glitters is not gold. And this is one example of people being arrogant and above. Not the law legally per se but above some moral law. Like we're going to pay we're going to ask somebody to pay over. Kelley Blue Book for this car that granted is in other than the catalytic converter is dialed but this Eric Kant's in and put this lack of virtue and this lack of, of moral character like to put 1000 more bucks in their pocket. And I know that the woman dri is buying a new car with the cash that I gave her and her husband they're on Instagram and Facebook and everything looking like this cool family filled with morals and they have a small puppy that was adorable, but but for 1000 bucks, and it's fine. And am I gonna sit around and resent them right now it might seem like I'm coming off ever so essence Lee, resentful, but I'm not. It's just it's the things you learn about people and about yourself. Do I feel like taking the time to drive to Freeport, Maine to bring someone to court for 1000 bucks. Not really. These people have to live with themselves, they probably have no real, they probably don't even care. They probably think it's funny, high five, got an extra 1000 bucks to pay the mortgage on their two houses and four cars. So all that glitters is not gold. The people that we put up on pedestals the people in the community that I'm part of, if you will, the Everest community, there's people that I know who have a ton of followers on Instagram, and I see posts, you know, some some are really good friends of mine and and and we know each other's weaknesses to the nth degree and love each other for those weaknesses. But some of the people put up on pedestals well, they're, they're not what the Instagram posts seem to dictate or show. So look in the mirror, and get, get your own world straight, clean your own room, be kind, and moral and filled with truth and seek out the truth and go with your heart. The minute you put another individual or a human being on any element of a pedestal, you're screwed. So don't measure yourself on those people on Instagram, God turn Instagram off Facebook off. Oh, go with the people who have your best interests at mind. Those are the people you want to spend time with. And, and those people will challenge you and will demand the best out of you and will demand you to go the extra mile to do the right thing for yourself. So it's not always going to be fun. But don't judge yourself on on those people that you click like on or or think are amazing, incredible people judge yourself 100% on the person that you are today and and on the person perhaps that you were yesterday and endeavour just to leave this planet ever. So more evolved than the soul and the human being that you were when you entered this realm. And so that's my spiel off to Cape Cod. I go today in my check engine light Volvo that needs a new catalytic converter that fortunately has a sticker on it for the next six weeks. So I don't have to cough up 1500 bucks. But yet, and those people I don't expect to see a check from them in the mail. And you know what? Cool, thank you for the lesson. Thank you, Mark for the lesson. I'll take your money if you want to send me money for the catalytic converter. But thank you for the lesson. That's me walking blindly into something I put them up on a little pedestal. These are good people. Look at that beautiful house. No, all that glitters is not gold. Boom, ditto. Look at me. I'm not glittering. Like look at me. Like I am not glittering. I'm in my shorts. And it's about 32 degrees. And I'm barefoot freezing my ass off out here holding my brother's journal. And there's a coffee that's not steaming anymore inside and the cat's looking at me and Soula needs to be walked. So people I love you. Have a great day. Just go and kick some ass man and be good. Go find the truth in your own heart and go after that. Because that's the only thing at the end of the day that matters. And the only person you ever have to really worry about is you unless you have kids who are under 18 take care of them too. And let them be who they are. value their individuality and their uniqueness and you are unique to Thanks for taking time out of your day. I appreciate it. I appreciate you. Please be sure to subscribe wherever you're listening to me. Like, comment, share, leave ratings Five stars are highly desirable. And if you do want to see this on YouTube, go to my YouTube channel, the happiness quotient on YouTube with Thom Pollard. I also have a Patreon page, which I hope you'll take a minute out of your day to go. See it has some free content on there. But some special content for those patrons who have been kind enough to take the time out of their day and out of their pocketbook to support me in the work that I'm doing here at the happiness quotient. It's patreon.com/the happiness quotient be well take care of yourself and I will see you real soon.