I've always considered myself to be somewhat self-sufficient over the years when it came to maintaining a car. By watching my father do the mechanical maintenance on his vehicle and asking questions along the way, I learned how to change a tire and change my own oil. I was proud, especially being a woman and knowing this information that only a man supposedly knows. After all, car knowledge is a man's domain, right?

As I have grown older and wiser, I still have the knowledge I learned in my younger years, but now I belong to AAA so they can do the tire changing when I have a flat at a much faster rate than it would take me just to get set up. I have a sticker on my windshield to remind me of my next oil change when the mechanic does the dirty work on a lift instead of me being on the ground underneath my car and then being unable to get up off the ground due to "maturing" bones.

Recently, time had come to change the windshield wipers again. I have changed them many times over the years and it was nothing I couldn't handle. It has been challenging at times, but I always accomplished the task. Different manufacturers have different styles of wipers which require different ways of putting them on. This time was no different.

The last time I bought a pair of wipers, the store clerk had put them on for me. I thought that was very nice and no big deal since I also knew how to put them on from previous experience.

When I recently bought a new pair, my plan was to replace them on a day when the temperature would be a little warmer. I decided I would go to the local grocery store and replace them there and then go food shopping. My other thought was that if I couldn't put these wipers on (since it's been two years) at my place of residence, I wouldn't be embarrassed in front of my neighbors.

So I drove to the local grocery store and attempted to replace the wipers. Reading the directions didn't do a bit of good because they make it look so easy. And these wipers were from a different manufacturer than those I had bought previously. I didn't want to break the wipers so after about 15 minutes I decided to go back to the auto parts store and have someone there install them after I went grocery shopping.

But as soon as that thought went through my mind, a couple drove up and the man asked if I needed help. I said yes and he said he always changes his own and has the same problem trying to figure out how to install wipers since each manufacturer is different.

After about 15 minutes, he finally figured out how to install them and I didn't feel so bad. He didn't make me feel incompetent either. I thanked him for doing the labor and his female companion for having the patience to wait for him to complete this undertaking.

They wished me a belated Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays. I relayed the same.

There still are nice people in this world, and I would like to say thank you again for having them make me believe the spirit of giving is not lost!