The Milestone of 2024

The end of every year means asking that age-old question: What did I do with the time?

Image Credit: April Heath LMT

When I reviewed my year-end income statement for 2023, my eyes sparkled and glittered. I’d never made that much money in my whole life! Things were golden, and the future was bright.

In mid-January 2024, my friend Mack challenged me to test drive my dream car, a Lexus IS, just for sh*ts and giggles. He’d taunted me over the years to get behind the wheel to make my dream more vivid. “What are ya, chicken?”

Yeah! I was totally chicken. The timing wasn’t right. I had other obligations and opportunities that would swallow up a sizable chunk of change. I needed to keep some money in reserve.

“Just do it,” Mack said.

Dammit, he was throwing my favorite slogan at me, but I knew I couldn’t be trusted on the Lexus lot. My beloved red Camry was only two years old. It was the first car I’d ever bought brand new.

My red 2022 Camry after a wash

Image Credit: April Heath LMT

The next morning, an email from the Lexus dealership arrived in my inbox. They’d just gotten a white 2020 Lexus IS300 in inventory. The sticker price was slightly higher than the remaining balance of the loan on my Camry. “Hmm, that’s interesting,” I thought. It felt within reach, and all reason went flying out the window.

So, Mack and I hatched a plan. I’d make the appointment for the test drive to get my motor revving, so to speak; then right when it was time to sign on the dotted line, Mack would storm in. 

He’d pose as my irate husband. “Woman, what the hell are you doing? We can’t afford a new car, etc., etc., etc.” He’d yank me away from the dealership, with my tail between my legs.

It was brilliant! I’d get my mojo on with a perfectly plausible excuse to bail. My visualization techniques would get a burnishing with real world experience of being behind the wheel, but I wouldn’t have to part with a nickel.

I showed up to the dealership. The model advertised in that morning’s email had sold (Oh, you don’t say), but they had a 2021 IS300 in atomic silver. The sales rep Erik took me for the test drive and I was hooked. Melting. Totally becoming one with the car.

Lexus is flawless automotive engineering. I drove that beauty back to the lot and followed Erik to his office. The paperwork process got started. Where was Mack? 

Stuck twenty miles away in Pompano.

Wait, what? Oh, God, uh-oh. The lure of finally laying claim to a Lexus after 35 years of longing was irresistible. I was as helpless as a kitten up a tree, and I hardly wanted a rescue.

I bought my dream car that day in January. The other obligations and opportunities didn’t factor into my thoughts for a second. 

Image Credit: April Heath LMT

Then in February, I lost my job.

Now what? After a few days of considering my options and where I was at in my career, the only way forward was to open my own thing.

So I did.

The entrepreneurship decision came with a steep learning curve and tons of expenses – some expected, some surprising, but most necessary.

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The Takeaway

There’s never a perfect time for the big things in life. Life is brief. It’s too easy to lose sight of that in the day-to-day. I’ve been pretty cautious with my money and expenditures, and I’d put off buying what I really wanted for several years. I work hard, I work smart. When in this life would I ever give myself permission to seize what I desire most?

It made me think of my dad. Growing up, we used to take summer road trips. The first family car I remember was a wood-paneled stationwagon. We made lots of trip through the Allegheny Mountains to New York in that old thing. Then a company pick up truck in red that got us to Detroit and Chicago. After that came the burgundy Pontiac Grand Prix, which took us to St. Louis and Louisville. Then a creamy Buick Riviera. What a smooth ride to Augusta. Then finally my dad’s dream car: a winter white Cadillac El Dorado. We moved cross-country to Florida in the Cadillac.

I knew at last the pride he must have felt when he triumphed over adversity and set-backs to get the car of his dreams.

The dreamy Lexus is a financial burden (regular service maintenance with oil change tops $400, and that’s no joke). But she has my heart. Heart is worth fighting for. Heart is priceless.

What I don’t know vs what I do know

I don’t know which way the economic winds will blow, when they’ll shift, or if they’ll blow at my back. I do know that I’m deeply grateful for my clients – the ones who have been with me since 2009, and the ones who discovered me in 2024.

First and foremost, I’m a massage therapist. My sole priority is the human being on my table, and it can’t be any other way. So when you trust me for that hour, it means the world. I know you have endless options on where to spend your time and money, so when you choose Joyful Rising, it’s an honor and privilege that I don’t take for granted.

I’m also grateful for the warm welcome to set up shop inside Beautification & Co. If you haven’t read the Divine Timing on how Joyful Rising arrived in Davie, definitely head over to check it out. Jay, Veronica, Leen, Zaida, Karent, and Mary have all been marvelous, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else to grow and prosper.

When you’re considering where to go for your stress relief in 2025, remember Joyful Rising Massage Therapy.

God bless and be well. See you soon!

April

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Have you realized a dream in 2024? Leave a comment.

Easily book your appointment: www.joyfulrisingspa.com

Call/Text: 754.777.9437

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