The other day, I took my big white truck to Jiffy Lube because my garage at home was cold and I didn’t want to do my own oil change on the truck. Y’all will remember that I’m a retired diesel truck mechanic (among other professions that I’ve retired from), so I surely could have changed that oil and filter in a nano-second … but it was really cold out so off I went to Jiffy Lube instead.
I cruised down the street (without the trailer of course) and then around this corner and then around the next corner in that big white truck (which has the biggest engine that RAM makes for this truck, by the way).
I took the turn into the driveway of the local Jiffy Lube establishment. No other vehicles were in line for service right then, cool!
I stopped the truck outside the building and waited for one of the guys to direct me into whichever service bay they wanted the truck to be in.
Very quickly, a guy wearing a baseball cap came out and waved me over to one particular service bay and then asked “what service would you like for your truck today?” That “guy wearing a baseball cap” wasn’t a guy, she was a woman. And it turned out she wasn’t the front office service writer, she was the team lead technician out in the shop.
Ok, yes, I know … a “technician” who works at Jiffy Lube (even the team lead) may not be a full-fledged mechanic, but she must have a lot of mechanical savvy to do that work and to oversee the other techs who work there. All of them must have some mechanical savvy, and the team lead must have even more.
When I realized she was a woman, I admit I beamed and said “whoa, a woman, cool!” And she beamed too with that recognition and approval and admiration from me. I told her I was a retired diesel truck mechanic and her eyes got big and she said “wow, cool!”
I jumped out of the truck, handed her the keys, and said, “just an oil and filter change please, maybe an air filter too if she needs it.” She said “yes ma’am!” and grinned from ear to ear.
From the waiting room, I watched her for a bit. She knew exactly what she was doing with my truck; she had no hesitation about anything and her actions were swift and precise. She was a natural. And that’s unusual … for women and for men … being a natural mechanic has nothing to do with gender.
When the work was done and the bill was paid, I went outside to get my truck. She said, “nice truck” and I said “thank you”. She handed me the keys and then we stood and chatted for a bit. I asked if she had ever considered going to school to become a mechanic. She said she had, but knew she’d have to give up her day job at Jiffy Lube to do that. I said, “Do that! Go! You’re a natural! The world needs you!” She said her Mom says the same thing (her mom, turns out, had been a welder and loved it, but her dad didn’t like it so her mom quit!). We then had a long talk about quitting and fear and dreams … she had already had those conversations with herself, but never with another woman who had been through all of that (all of it!) but who hadn’t quit (me). I told her how much I loved being a mechanic and why … her eyes sparkled with the same enthusiasm.
Short story is that I have this woman’s name and email address and I very much will help her if she decides to become a car/truck mechanic (I know several women who are professional mechanics) or an airplane mechanic (I know one woman who is one) or a city bus mechanic (I know a woman who is one) or an elevator mechanic (I know a woman who is one) or a whatever mechanic.
But … ok, back at Jiffy Lube … I eventually thanked her and jumped up into my truck and started the engine, but I looked back before driving away from Jiffy Lube. She was still standing there watching me, not too far away. Out my open truck window, I said “hey, you can be anything you want to be.” She said, sincerely, “thank you … I will.” We both waved and I went on my way.
Women can be anything … we ARE anything, and everything. Men can be too. Whatever each person loves. I just hope this society we live in today continues to increase support for options for women and for men, more and more … the freedom to learn and to be.
You can bet I’ll stop back by that Jiffy Lube location to see what she’s up to. Will helping her change the world? Maybe not … but maybe it will. If I can help her, then you can bet it helps all of us.
Turn your sound ON for the video below. You can enlarge the video by clicking on the little square box in the lower right hand corner inside the video … and then re-start the video by using your mouse cursor to move the red line back to the left … or just let it play. Turn your sound on first.