THE 72 HOUR RULE: RUNNING ON EMPTY

This is my gas gauge every day. Another in a seemingly endless list of mindless aggravations that make up the stuff of my "Wonderful Life". For some reason, maybe because the car is over 10 years old, my gas gauge always says empty,even when I fill up the tank. My husband says that he would have to basically overhaul, drop the engine,fish around, yada yada yada. After I heard the words, drop the engine, I lost all conscious thought. So what is the alternative I asked, to which he responded, "Leave it like it is, but when you fill your tank, zero out the mileage gauge....blah blah blah. You get the picture. I need to perform higher math, and if I remember correctly,my high school math teacher sounded like my husband, yada yada yada to the 3rd power. So I basically ignore the gas gauge and try to use some car telepathy to determine when I need gas. It doesn't help that for the past few "fill ups) not, I have only filled it up half way. I figure its lying to me anyway. I can't trust it. There must needs me an opposition to all things. Saturday I was on my way to an appointment, I was feeling really great because the appointment topped a strenuous "To Do List". I vaguely remember floating past a 7-11 gas station. As I was whizzing down and up 2 hills, I came to rest at the bottom of the 2nd hill when I heard a cough and a hiccup. Then my car started to sway a bit. I am wondering what is going on,I have gas,don't I? I just know the gauge is lying to me again. So I started it and it made that funny whining noise cars make when they are running on just a whiff of fumes. What a surreal moment, just as I was doing my best to coax the car to move ( a gas station was just up the hill to my right ), I heard a radio preacher say that "life's challenges should be enjoyed,because they help us to progress". What? At that moment, my car kicked into gear and we sputtered "just down the hill, turned right on a busy hill and died at the entrance to the gas station.
I know someone was laughing somewhere. I could feel it. 
So, my car is "dead on cement" right in front of a full service gas station at 0845 in the morning, my appt is at 0900am.I call my husband to tell him about it, of course I got an ear full of my own short coming's. I got out of the car and went into said "full service" facility and asked if I could borrow a gas container. Of course the nice lady at the register said,  she didn't have any, and the "guys" were not due in until later. I asked if she had   any to sell. She said she didn't know. I know she was trying to blow me off. I had to  depend on the kindness or lack there of strangers. I saw a guy pull up in a work truck and I am sure he had a gas can. I asked him if he could help me, His response was to lock the doors in his truck. He rolled down his window and asked "what is the problem". I said I need to borrow a gas container to yada yada yada. You get the point, because then he proceeded to roll up his window and drive away without buying gas for himself. I wondered if he thought I posed a threat to his safety? So, the light bulb finally went off in my head, there was a Track Auto right behind the useless full service gas facility. I thought, I will go there. Well it seems that the cash register lady had an "AH HA" moment too, because she found a gas container,(they sell them there ) She gave me the gas can, and spotted me 2.45 worth of gas. The rest is her-story,or I lived to make my appointment happily. The back story is this, I called my husband just as my car was sputtering its last breath and told him what was going on. He was working on his own work truck. So instead of being sympathetic, he spewed out "Ya da ya da, blah blah, who runs out of gas? You get the picture. He sent a neighbor to help me.  
So today I was reading "The Happiness Project" blog,and today is Tip Day Wednesday.The blog owner Gretchen Rubin listed "10 Extremely Simple Tips to Eliminate Stress in Your Day". Que David Letterman: The #2 Extremely Simple Tip to Eliminate Stress in your Day is "Never let your car's gas level fall into the "empty zone.......if you can afford it, fill the tank:.... and the # 9 Extremely Simple Tip to Eliminate Stress in Your Day tip is "Have at least one good friend who lives in the neighborhood."

So,my number 1 tip to eliminate stress in your day  is to" Pray everyday before you start your day." "Love your neighbor as yourself" and you will have a good friend who will come to the gas station to see if you are OK.  And trust in God at all times, and put gas in your tank when the gauge says empty.  Amen