It Never Hurts to Ask (Part II) by Lois Barth

Not so long ago we hit a deer, out of nowhere, Mr/Ms. Bambi came flying out of an open field and totally lopped into the front end of my poor Freida, my once Sassy Subaru, Freedom Mobile (yes I name my car!). I was horrified. I could just hear her now, “bad enough she doesn’t clean me enough, now she’s gotta disfigure my face.”

After the upset of hitting this beautiful animal, which I felt badly about, I said out loud, “I don’t have collision (it’s an old car), they probably won’t cover it, maybe I’ll call and ask them if they do.” Marty my sweetheart responded, “If you don’t have collision they’re probably not going to cover it, and if you call them, and make the claim your rates will go up… a lot!” “Maybe I can call them and ask them that too.” Marty looked at me horrified like I was going to do jello shots in a bikini while dancing to the Macarena at the local nursing home!

“It never hurts to ask! I responded.

I realized that that was the mantra my Mom and Dad would say growing up; ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

So I did just that!

The customer service agents and claims person at my insurance company couldn’t have been nicer.

“Hi, I just hit a deer.”

“ Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“ I am calling to see if you will cover that.”

“ Of course!”

“OMG, I’m so relieved because as you see I don’t have collision.”

“ Ms. Barth, hitting a dear is covered under comprehensive.”

“Ohh, but will my rate go up?”

“Absolutely not, it wasn’t your fault. Was there any alcohol involved?”

“Well I didn’t have a breathalyzer nearby but Bambi seemed stone sober to me.

(Pause)

(Hysterical laugh..thankfully from them)

“Thanks, I needed a good laugh, surprisingly enough most of our clients aren’t usually in a jovial mood when they call us.”

“What a shock!”

Within 10 minutes I was assigned a claim adjuster and within 3 days I received an estimate and a direct deposit in my account. Minus the $250 deductible, they covered everything.

And now Freida’s looking better than ever, she may have a lot of miles but she’s got a lot of spunk in her trunk!

All that was possible by just reminding myself, “It never hurts to ask!”

While I still have moments when I’m reluctant to ask, I find when I do, whether the outcome is what I want it to be, I’m always glad I did. We can live in our curiosity and self-expression, or in our regrets. It’s always a choice.

I also find that whether it’s on a personal or professional level, we all fall prey to our own and others' assumptions which often are not accurate. Being willing to “ask” and find out the real story frees us up.

How does this suggestion of “It never hurts to ask!” speak

to you, and how will you apply this today in your life? I'd like to know.

Thanks for tuning in and not tuning out.