I was driving back to Scottsdale from San Diego last week after completing a Journey event on intention. This is an interactive group experience where I guide people through a process to get clarity on what they want to create in their lives. Together we look at the power of creating intentions to move our energy towards manifesting what we want rather than giving our energy to the things we don’t.

It was a very hot day so I timed my trip to avoid being in the desert at its warmest time. I had a wonderful audio book on and was engrossed in listening to my story as I headed towards home. I was enjoying the scenery as I passed Palm Springs and was not paying close attention to my gas gauge. When I did notice my gauge it was under 1/4 of a tank. So I started looking for gas stations. On a major highway there are usually many choices but on this particular stretch of I-10 there weren’t any. About 30 minutes passed and I finally saw a sign. I exited with great relief because I was now on empty and my low fuel warning light was on. When I got to the gas station the pumps were all blocked off. Seems they were having problems with their delivery. They were the only station at that exit so I had to make a choice. Should I go back the way I had come and find one there or go forward? I don’t like to go backwards in life so I decided to continue going east towards Arizona.
As I re-entered the freeway I drove for about 25 minutes when I noticed a sign. All my joy faded however when I read it. NO SERVICE FOR 60 MILES!

I have never run out of gas. I am usually very careful about those things. I therefore had no idea how much gas I actually had left when the warning light goes on. Was it a gallon? more? I was in my chaos now. I was frantically searching for signs that would contradict that NO SERVICE sign. Maybe it was an old sign. Maybe they didn’t update it when new gas stations opened. I kept looking. The fear started rising along with the heat. My temperature gauge said it was 110’ outside. I took a deep breath and turned off the air conditioning and the cruise control to conserve gas. I was hot. I was frustrated. I was scared.

I kept looking for my oasis of gas. I drove another 10 miles and saw a sign. I was right. The sign about no service was wrong. I pulled off and went into the twilight zone. A creep, dusty, deserted ghost town. The gas station had not been operational since the 50”s. There was an empty cafe with its broken sign dangling. I was crushed. Then I saw 2 large trucks that had pulled over. They were probably just resting but to my fearful mind they were a menacing presence. All I wanted to do was get out of there. I couldn’t image a worse place to run out of gas. Once again I was on the freeway, I kept going.

Then I realized there was something I could do. What had I been doing in San Diego? I could stop giving my energy to the “problem” and create an intention of the outcome I wanted. I could put into practice the very ideas I had been teaching at my Journey event. I kept driving as I spoke my intention out loud. I was safe, my car would make it, or I would be supported by a Good Samaritan who would help me. I added the feeling of peace and gratitude to my statement. Then I put on some music and sang loudly to move my stuck energy. I felt better. I still didn’t see a gas station sign. It was still 110’ at 7:30PM and I was very warm in my little car but I was out of the chaos for now.

I realized that few cars were on the road with me. But there were many large trucks. They were everywhere. I decided to stay in the right lane in case I did run out of gas. I had no idea if that meant I would lose power steering as well but didn’t want to chance it. The trucks were not happy with my speed but I didn’t take that personally. Then I noticed that the shoulder at that point on the I-10 was very narrow. It also had a steep decline into the desert land.

I started imagining how far over I could pull over if I had to. Would it be far enough to be out of the path of a speeding truck? Would I end up in the ditch? What would I do? Stay in the car? Get out in the broiling heat? If left to its own devices my mind does a number on me. It pulls up many possibilities of doom and gloom. But as Mark Twain said: “I’ve imagined many terrible things in my lifetime some of them have actually happened!”

So I snapped out of it. Reminded myself of my intention and I kept breathing trying not to look at my gas gauge. I also prayed. I do a lot of praying when I’m scared. It would be nice to do more praying when I’m ok. By this time 59 miles had passed since that terrible sign. I looked to my left and saw a beautiful site. A large pole with a 76 painted on it. A gas station! I was thrilled. I held my breath for a moment making sure it was not a mirage; then I took the exit. I had made it. I had gone through the desert driving 60 miles on empty. My sweet little car made it. She was very thirsty. The gas price was astronomical. I have never been happier to pay so much to fill my tank. I went to the restroom and cooled myself down. I did a shakeout to release all the sympathetic nervous system energy from my body. My fight/flight was over. I thanked God and thanked him again for this little miracle.

In the scheme of things this was “little”. For me it was huge. I had made it through the desert. I had quelled my panic with a powerful intention. I moved my stuck energy with singing and breathing. I believed I would make it. I created my own reality and it was so much nicer than being stranded in the hot desert. I received a miracle in the desert. THANK YOU!