Shaking the Coke can!

Do you remember when you were younger and you thought it would be funny to shake up a can of Coke and watch someone open it so it would spray all over them? I know I did it a few times but when I think about it I don't think it would be that funny if it happened to me. It definitely leaves a mess and makes whoever it happens to very mad.

The same type thing happens if you leave a full can in your car when it is hot. The pressure builds up so high that it eventually explodes. That also leaves one heck of a mess and it is very difficult to clean up fully.

Do you ever feel like that can of Coke that has been shaken? Have you ever felt like you could just explode? Well, that's what I am talking about here.

We often times, myself included, let things weigh us down so much that we get frustrated and upset and instead of talking it out we let it build until there is nowhere else for it to go and we explode on someone. Often times it comes out on the closest one to us much like whoever is holding that can of Coke. We are quick to snap on a spouse, a co worker or ourselves whenever we have hit our boiling point. Sometimes it can be simply in a verbal way but often times it could result in a physical altercation which neither one of these things are acceptable. If you were to do something like this there could be severe consequences and even severed relationships.

What can be done that will help keep the pressure from building to that point?

The best way to combat these things from happening is simply to talk it out. I am bad about letting things build up and getting overly angry at something that I really shouldn't simply because I am not one to talk about too many personal things. I often times won't even talk to my wife like I should when there is something bothering me or on my mind. Talking it out is usually the most effective way to handle these things and can also be the most beneficial because there may be someone that could help you or give you good advice. It could be close friend or family member that can just listen to you and maybe even comfort you through some tough times or decisions. It could be someone that is going to give you the cold hard truth even though it could be the most difficult thing to hear. Either way just having someone to go to or talk to can make a huge difference in your life especially if you are one that struggles with life every day and don't ever seem to be able to make it out.

We often create our own toughest times as well. We get into things and make bad decisions that seem to make us think that there is no way out and we lash out at others when that's not necessary. Sometimes we just need to take responsibility and own up to it and deal. We often times need to hold ourselves accountable before we take it out on someone else. Lack of self accountability, I think, is one of the main reasons for unnecessary pressure build up when we want to blame everyone else for our mistakes and problems. You know what I mean??...the victim mentality?!

All this to say.... have someone that you can talk to. Get someone that can be there to listen to you when you are struggling or made a poor decision. Get a mentor or 2 that can be there when you can't figure out a problem or seem like you have no where else to turn. You may be like me and have a hard time trusting people or telling people your problems but it can make a world of difference in your life if you have a couple of people that can help you carry whatever burden that you are carrying...whether you caused it or not.

I hope this may help someone that may be struggling with something to be able to release some of that pressure before you explode!

Do you make a difference?

Jeff Parton and myself did our Facebook Live this morning as usual. Today we decided to talk about that 1 customer or situation that was either special or moved us in some way. I went first and I talked about a situation that I experienced with one of my previous customers.


Wednesday I came in to work, it was really my off day and I hardly take a full one off, but I was in a bad mood. I have been having a few tough days and for some reason or another I couldn't shake it. I was even a little ill toward my wife this same morning which almost never happens. I even got out of my truck and said to myself that I should just go back home since my attitude was terrible. It's rare that I'm in a bad mood but today it was definitely on my back.


As I was getting settled in at work this same morning one of the service advisors came to me and said a customer was here to see me. I then said to him that I didn't have the right attitude right then to talk to anyone. After I said that, I asked him who it was. He then told me her name and I immediately tried to remember the last time that I had talked to her and her husband. She was in service a few months ago and we talked about her husband and how he was doing. He had developed Alzheimer's and wasn't feeling well enough on that day to come in. I ended up paying for half of a new car battery that she needed and she left. I haven't seen her since that day.


Now back to present day.... I walked in the side door and she was standing there looking towards me. I could tell immediately that something was bothering her and that she had something to tell me. I felt that I already knew by the way she looked and the fact that Mr Jullian wasn't with her again. I hugged her and as I was hugging her she started to tear up and inform me that he had passed away last month which would've been May. As I stood there speaking with her I tried my best to comfort here but it's really a hard thing to do when someone loses someone that they really loved. But I noticed something while we were speaking and that was a since of calm that was on her. She started talking about the love for Jesus that he had and that seemed to help comfort her since she knew where he was and the comfort he had and the lack of pain he had. He was now praising his Savior face to face which is something that all true believers dream of.


As we were finishing our conversation she showed me a video from this past Christmas of Mr Jullian smiling as he was listening to a song about Jesus. She told me that he didn't really smile much and that it was hard to see emotion on him but at that particular moment he was joyous. She told me that he listened to that song a few times and the whole time he had that big smile on his face. (Who knows, maybe he was thinking about what it would be like when he finally meets his Savior and it brought joy to him?) After the video we hugged and she looked at me, as I'm trying to choke back tears, and said to me, 'Gary, I love you and so did Jullian and I pray for you all the time. I have your face on the refrigerator and I see it everyday'. At this point I couldn't talk or I would lose it so I said I love you too and thank you for that and walked away. I had no idea how I would continue to stand there and talk with her anymore so I had to go.


Later on I went and took care of her service bill and from what I was told she was almost in tears as she left.


The moral of this story is you never know who you are going to come into contact with that could help or change theirs or your life or at least make an impact on. If you are the last person that someone could potentially come into contact with what would you say? What would you talk about? What help could you offer them that might make a difference in their life?


We get in such a big hurry in life that we sometimes overlook those that are struggling with something and we tend to miss things that we could say or do that might change the direction of their life. I'm guilty of this as well. I have no excuse except of the fact that I can be selfish sometimes with my life and that gets in the way of me noticing someone else's struggles.


I hope this particular post helps someone that may be struggling with something in their life and you feel there is no way out.