REAL People

So a few weeks ago my brother and I decided that it would be a good idea to put the top on my Jeep Wrangler down from the inside instead of getting out of the car. The already worn edges on my '97 top could not take this alteration and finished their impending tear from end to end. Given my work schedule and a few other things (mainly procrastination) I was unable to get it fixed until now.

I sometimes put off things that I know are going to be painful, mostly financially painful and annoying. I dislike going to car dealerships like I dislike shoe shopping, and for a fix like this I was not even sure where to start. My dad suggested that I might call a local sailing shop to see if they would repair the vinyl on my top as they would a sail. I decided to take his advice and called three different shops along the local coast until one  was finally able to give me another suggestion. Here was my first REAL person. The woman at Hatheay, Reiser and Raymond told me that because the material was not one they normally deal with, that they were unable to help me. However, she did say that she knew a local place in Greenwich that did interior car repairs. She was very kind and extremely helpful in her suggestions and I highly recommend them.

Leaving the world of sailing, I was back on the road of auto repair and called Bells Auto Interior. I called over and asked if they thought they could help. The man on the other end of the phone was not only helpful and knowledgeable, but extremely polite and insisted that I come over whenever it was convenient for me. Fifteen minutes later I pulled in and met one of the most down-to-earth people I have ever encountered in Greenwich. I helped him to remove the material from the roof of the car and while he stitched the edging I took the opportunity to clean out the backseat.

We talked about our love of Wranglers and old Americana while we reattached the roofing and I lost the race with my little hand-held screwdriver against his power tools. I often feel that people have lost touch with the art of a daily conversation and genuineness. He was extremely polite and I to him and in return we were able to make something that could be see to me as painful, downright enjoyable.

Don't ever think that you are better or worse than someone else because of "social status" or a relationship such as boss and staff. We are all equally human beings and should be treated as such. The more realistic we are with each other, the more we will get out of life. Being uptight, snobby or rude will get you nowhere in life that you want to be.

Be kind, be polite, be REAL!