I love my auto mechanic. I’ll call him Rod. He’s kind of like a therapist/matchmaker/comedian all rolled into one, with a little social and political commentary thrown in for good measure. He’s most entertaining and always good for a yarn, if not a good laugh and some great advice.

What I love most about Rod is his no holds barred opinions about just about everything. For instance, I took my car in for servicing today and he told me all about how he thinks the world is really going down hill. Take Roman Polanski, who was recently arrested in Switzerland on a U.S. arrest warrant from a 1977 child sex charge. Rod’s take on the matter: “It’s been so long since he did what he did that no one remembers for cares.” Then he complained to me about the “hydroponic” gardeners who front pot farms and he can’t stand working on their cars because they stink so much like dope. And all I can think is, “Does my car need a new starter?” But seriously… some of the best advice I have gotten on divorce, dating and  remarriage has come from Rod.

Both Paul and I had been taking our cars to Rod for years before we met each other. So when we both discovered that we shared the same mechanic and knew someone in common, neither of us  could resist the temptation to run to Rod for a ” reference” if you know what I mean. He told me Paul was  “a great, smart guy” and he told Paul I “was a real go-getter.” When we told him we were getting married, blending our families and remodeling Paul’s house, his suggestion to us was  to “put the kids in another building.” You see, he and his wife have a blended family of four kids and that is what they did. They put the kids in a granny unit on the back of their property. He knows what he is talking about.

My point is… you never know who can help you or shed some light on your situation or give you a perspective that you never thought of or considered.  An auto mechanic is like a bar tender or anyone else in the service industry who meets and deals with a lot of people on a daily basis. They are experts on the study of the human condition. So the next time you have the occasion to talk to someone like Rod, don’t miss the opportunity. You will surprised at what you can learn.