QUARANTINE LIFE: TRUST THE EXPERTS

So...When I came back inside last week after the car wouldn’t start, I logged on to YouTube to watch diagnostic and repair tutorials. (These days, you can learn how to do practically anything!) 

I’d heard the clicking sound before. 

Alternator? 

Starter motor? 

Battery? 

I watched intently; listened too, and, although nothing was funny, when I’d watched the final video, I laughed—at myself. 

I said to myself, “Now, you know daggone well you’re not gonna replace that battery.” 

There are jumper cables in the trunk. I’ve pumped gas, changed oil, topped off fluids, replaced floor mats, and affixed registration stickers, but I know I ain’t bit more care about being a mechanic that day, than the man in the moon. 

I had no intentions to even lift the hood. Where was I going anyway?

 

The last time I went somewhere was the first week in March. I’d been quarantining and chilling (an extension of my usual happy homebody existence) and singing the praises of Instacart, Amazon, Peapod, Doordash, UPS, FedEX and USPS. 

Seriously. Where was I going? 

Had I met me?

 
I watched those tutorials like they were Lifetime movies. I went to school a lot of days, and didn’t miss many, so if I’d really, really wanted to; if I’d had the interest; if I would have been confident, patient, and flexible, I’m sure with time (months), parts, tools, (and Jesus), I could have fixed my car. 

I probably would have broken or sprained something, or walked away needing bandaids, an eye patch, and some degreaser, but I could have done it— but by when? Christmas? 

If all I based my competence on was my ability to follow instructions, I’m sure that I still would have messed up. 

I’M NOT A MECHANIC. 

I can drive the car, park, wash, polish, and, if I’m smart and realistic, PAY to maintain it. Why have insurance if you’re not going to use it? And WHERE was I even going?

My respect for experience and expertise, overruled any notion that I would get my hands dirty. 

I considered many things: reality, urgency, insurance, roadside assistance, a competent mechanic who had history with the car, stay-at-home orders, and a global pandemic. 

The choice between my car being drive-able, and back on the road in a few days, or becoming a permanent home for a family of squirrels, was mine.

 

Being mobile again depended on me making a wise decision. Something had to be done, but I was not the one to do it. I called my insurance company. Business was open, but business as usual was over. I would not be riding with the tow-truck driver. Nor would I be driving my car back home when it was repaired. 

Since March, nothing was stopping me from starting my car. Nothing kept me from periodically driving around my neighborhood. I didn’t have to get on the Beltway or Bay Bridge, just start the poor thing.

 

What I’d forgotten was that my car is not a sculpture, a storage facility, or a planter. 

How it looked on the outside played some part in choosing it, but the inner workings matter most. 

It’s meant to move; to function, not sit idly, or decorate. 

It showed me what happens when it doesn’t serve its primary purpose. It also showed me that its purpose could easily resume through the intervention of an expert. There was no need for me to jeopardize myself, others, or any life the car certainly has left.

These aren’t ordinary times, but measures have been put in place to make them bearable, productive, and safer. 

We can’t complain or lament about what we did two months ago, or become unnecessarily daring. 

Oh, sure. This is a great time to try new things, but it’s important to be reasonable and realistic. 

Experts become so for a reason. 

Asking for, or needing help, and knowing your own limitations is not a crime. 

Maybe you think you COULD do it (whatever it is). The question is, “SHOULD you?” 

How much more efficient, effective, and excellent even, would it be if you left it alone, stepped aside, and turned it over to someone who actually knew what they were doing? 

If my car is any indication, you’ll appreciate AND enjoy it a whole lot more.