I have a lot of fears and insecurities. One of them is driving along, not really close to home, with my husband out of town, and I break down and get stranded somewhere. I know full well that modernity has provided all sorts of ways to tackle this situation: cell phones, Uber, and tow trucks. The men in my life, though, have been the kind that tinker and fix car issues themselves. My dad was an amateur mechanic -- he'd do his own oil changes and minor fixes that our cars required. I married a guy who does that and more. He's restored old Jeeps and can fix just about anything that needs fixing on our vehicles. So you see, if he's home, I know I can just call him and he'll fix it. Thus, my fear that something goes mechanically wrong with my car and my husband is out of town.
One of things my husband does in his down time is watch YouTube videos of people working on their cars. One of the guys he follows posted a video and it was his wife repairing her car. I was so inspired! To be able to fix my own car banishes the fear that I'll be stranded somewhere, right?!
I continue to be inspired. I truly want to know something about what's under my hood and how it all works. I also want to know how to fix something should it break. The last couple of weekends, I've joined my husband as he's worked on the cars. There were a couple of things that needed fixing on our cars -- I needed a new serpentine belt in my car (yes! I know what that is and how to replace one!) and my sun roof shattered after a rock hit me so we had to replace that. My husband's truck needed a new serpentine belt as well so I helped him with that. The most exciting thing is a few weeks ago, we acquired a 1988 Land Cruiser that needs lots of fixing up, so there are lots of opportunities to get under the hood and I've been learning so much at the feet of a master. (Truly, he is, though he'd hate that I said that of him.) I'm learning about something I never thought I'd ever be interested in, making memories with my sweetheart, getting dirty and greasy with a great sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, and banishing a fear of mine. Take that, modernity.
Another great post!