Check Under the Hood

From the Norse Tarot the Princess (Page) of Discs; from the Wolf Pack, "Crossroad:"

       A young girl gazes at a battle shield as if testing its merits. Her court rank of Page/Princess and suit of Discs combine to make her "Earth of Earth" - you don't get much more grounded than that. So while she wants the shield to be a beautiful work of art, she is more concerned that it protects the wearer for the reason it was created. She cautions me that just because something looks good on the outside doesn't mean it's worth any of my time, energy or money.  

       Should the wolf go left, right, back or blaze a new path? The phrases on the card suggest I should be practical, not emotional. Years ago, I had an old Chevy Impala. It wasn't a sporty red color but a dull brown. The seats had the stuffing coming out of them, so I had stretchy seat covers from Kmart over them. Yet the car was dependable and ran like a dream. As a college student with no money to spare, it was practical. Being a visual person, it's hard not to be drawn to what is beautiful. But the Princess and the wolf would remind me to always check under the hood first, so I don't run into any unwelcome surprises later.