How it started…
When I was in college, and my early to mid-20s (like most of you I’m sure) I had very little money. Certainly not lots of expendable cash. I also had a car. This here was my first and I have an all encompassing unconditional love for it that maybe no other material item will ever get from me in my lifetime. It was a 1985 Pontiac Grand Am. With a sunroof. And a bra. And a tape player!!! I mean…just look at it. I’m not even sure if this was the car that begins our story, but let’s pretend it was (because it’s spectacular and I have an actual digital picture of it unlike the cars that followed and paled in comparison). I don’t remember when it happened, but the car was declining, and I had to bring it to the mechanic. Which I avoided for as long as humanly possible because, no money. When I did finally bring it in, and got the dreaded call with the diagnosis, I was told they could not let me drive it off the lot without it being fixed. It would put me in danger. The amount for the fix was so high it was uncomprehensible to me. I did not have that kind of money. At all. But I also needed a car to get to school and to get to work - I had to get it fixed. In a move completely unexpected from a mechanic, they told me I could pay the bill in several payments and take the fixed car home that day. A payment plan, albeit unofficial, because they didn’t really do payment plans. Un-freaking-heard of. Not only did I take them up on it and thank them profusely, but I proceeded to go to that mechanic for the next…cough cough…30 years. How it’s going… We’ve had cars in the shop several times in 2024. My husband and I both have cars that are paid off, but also starting to get a bit old, and we’re hell bent on keeping them running for hopefully another full year or so. So we’re diligent about getting them fixed when something arises. My daughter also had to have her car in a couple of times. And in all of the car shuffling, and logistics of getting someone’s car to the shop - which isn’t overly close anymore - and picking up a spare that we’re borrowing, I’ve wondered if maybe now is the time to find another trustworthy mechanic closer to home. It’s not like my original mechanic is very far, it’s maybe 20 minutes from our house, but it’s in an area we don’t spend much time and there are closer mechanics. I wasn’t seriously considering it, but it was something I was thinking about thinking about at some point. I was in this general state of mind last week when I received an envelope with my name and address handwritten. I opened it to find a note, written in cursive (which by the way my children can not read!!!!), and a paper check that was also handwritten.
Turns out, on one of my more expensive visits to the mechanic in 2024, the person checking me out misread a number and charged me $50 too much. They’d found it in an end of year audit. And included a check for $50 and an apology for the mistake. Listen - clearly I also didn’t look closely at the bill, or the receipt (it was a lot of money - I was ready to be done with the transaction and figure out which child to sell to cover it). It would have been well within their rights to keep that $50 since I didn’t catch it either. I’m a rule follower and I would have felt like that was relatively acceptable. But instead, this mechanic that has been serving me, and now my entire extended family, incredibly well for more than half my life mailed me a handwritten apology and a check to make it right. I mean GTFOH. Obviously, I will never leave them for another mechanic. Like, not ever. They have fully solidified their place in my heart as my mechanic for life. One of the things I think I’m best at professionally, and hopefully in my real life, is maintaining really solid and lovely relationships. It’s one of my best strengths (in my opinion). I literally spoke to four friends I’ve had since I was 12 today. I’m totally bragging - that’s not necessarily common - BUT STILL. It happened. I exchange Christmas cards with my best friend from kindergarten. I still catch up with clients I haven’t worked with in over 13 years. I spent so much time chatting with a waitress in the bathroom of one of our fave local restaurants last weekend that my husband worried I’d gotten sick. Connecting with people, finding things/experiences/hopes/dreams that we share, and then keeping that going for the long haul? Just one of my favorite things ever. I felt nearly invincible this evening after connecting with my four different friends. The joy it brings me is almost as all encompassing as my love for my 1985 Grand Am. That said…it’s not hard to let relationships fizzle if we aren’t careful. Whether it’s just absence or distance, a small falling out, a perceived slight, it’s easy to let relationships go. And just like anything - a relationship that isn’t tended will fail to grow. Even our most surface relationships need attention if we want to keep them. In my effort to make waves this year I am also committed to doing the things I think about. Often times, that will be as small as telling someone they look amazing while passing them in the airport. Others, it will be calling or texting a friend who has popped up in my head. Or, following in the footsteps of Jesse Itzler (who I follow on LinkedIn) who sends handwritten notes at the end of each year to people who have made an impact on him. I want to enjoy the relationships I’ve built and been able to hang onto. It’s my favorite part of work, it’s my favorite part of real life, and it gives me exponential joy. Which, in turn, makes me better at literally all things. I am a way better version of myself when I am feeling joy. I am ready for a 2025 full of people I adore and strengthening the relationships I’m so so lucky to enjoy. Thanks for reading Mamacadabra! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Order your copy of “Mamacadabra” now!
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Thursday, January 9, 2025
Let's Stay Together
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