Hats off to Matthew

This afternoon when I pulled out of the library at Southdale with the tired, hungry kids in the backseat, my engine temp gauge soared and given my recent car fiascoes, I knew I had oil problems. I pulled into the next parking lot, popped the hood, got out my 5 qt resealable oil container from the trunk, checked the slightly charred dipstick and yessireebob, I was low on oil. (Please note my improvement since last car blog.) I started taking the cap off to fill it- but no. It was stuck. I looked around, saw a young man with strong looking arms, and sent Anjali to fetch him. He came over cheerfully informing us that he had worked at a gas station and knew just what to do. Even had a rag in his car. But no. It was still stuck. So bless his heart, he drove home and back with 2 tools and popped that recalcitrant bugger right off. He even assumed I was competent to finish the job myself, which I did. His name is Matthew and he lives in Edina and he works at the Perkins off Hwy 100. I want to tell him, "Thanks! I will put a rag in my trunk and my husband says the cap does have to be on that tight so I'll inquire Monday at Saturn regarding one of those tools."

It is a measure of my recent experiences with the kindness of strangers that I sat with the kids on the grass median in the shade reading library books, blithely sure he'd come back and fix it. Which he did. Something tight and hard in my heart is letting go this year.

So a special thanks to Matthew and all those good samaritans who do stop and help strangers in need all for a thank you. Especially to the men who are bringing kind masculine energy into my life just because that's the kind of men they are.