I’m betting what just happened to me has happened to you. Or something like it. Actually, the only reason it happened to me is because it happened to my car, which I own. But not all of it. Not any more. You see, someone snuck up to my car, probably in the middle of the night, with a screwdriver and a mission, and stole both side turn signal indicator lights from my defenseless Honda. (Click the photo and look just left of the front tire for the hole) Okay. So it’s not the end of the world. God knows if petty theft is your worst problem, life is pretty good, right? And it is. Especially mine. But I’m still kind of pissed. I know I should let it go, forget about it, nothing I can do about it now, etc., and I have. Forgive and forget. All that stuff. I have. Really. Almost.
Trouble is, a few days after Mr. Midnight Auto Parts paid my car a visit, I was flying down the freeway and signaled to change lanes. Another car was trying to do the same thing at the same time and wanted the same lane. He didn’t signal and he didn’t see me. So as I’m changing lanes he starts to move into the lane at the same time and I see him and back off and let him go. Then it hit me. Not having those two little turn indicators stolen by Parts Boy could have caused an accident. Involving me. Or someone like me or my wife or that guy or some Mom heading home to her kids. An action so random, so small, so inconsequential, might actually cause something awful. Painful. Tragic, even.
How often do we all do little things, often without thinking, without realizing those little things can have big consequences. A kind word can make a day or ruin it. The wrong word at the wrong time can make someone cry, cost a career or start a war. A letter to a loved one, lost and never received, can change two lives without either knowing. And some dude who probably has a car like mine, or a bad habit and an EBay account, can steal two parts from my car and never give it a thought.
But I have and I forgive him. It’s only $130 bucks for new parts and an afternoon putting them back on. By the way, Thanks for cutting the wires really short so putting the new parts back on is going to take that much longer. Because I’m too stubborn to just pay the Dealer to do it. But, I’ve promised to let it go and I am. Parts Boy has taught me something. All of us. That little things, things we hardly even think about or notice, or take for granted, can trigger bigger things. So we should be careful and kind. Lesson learned. Parts Boy doesn’t get it and never will. But we do. The little things can be big things. The Little Things ARE the Big Things. Thank you for reading and sharing. Feel free to leave your comments.
Trouble is, a few days after Mr. Midnight Auto Parts paid my car a visit, I was flying down the freeway and signaled to change lanes. Another car was trying to do the same thing at the same time and wanted the same lane. He didn’t signal and he didn’t see me. So as I’m changing lanes he starts to move into the lane at the same time and I see him and back off and let him go. Then it hit me. Not having those two little turn indicators stolen by Parts Boy could have caused an accident. Involving me. Or someone like me or my wife or that guy or some Mom heading home to her kids. An action so random, so small, so inconsequential, might actually cause something awful. Painful. Tragic, even.
How often do we all do little things, often without thinking, without realizing those little things can have big consequences. A kind word can make a day or ruin it. The wrong word at the wrong time can make someone cry, cost a career or start a war. A letter to a loved one, lost and never received, can change two lives without either knowing. And some dude who probably has a car like mine, or a bad habit and an EBay account, can steal two parts from my car and never give it a thought.
But I have and I forgive him. It’s only $130 bucks for new parts and an afternoon putting them back on. By the way, Thanks for cutting the wires really short so putting the new parts back on is going to take that much longer. Because I’m too stubborn to just pay the Dealer to do it. But, I’ve promised to let it go and I am. Parts Boy has taught me something. All of us. That little things, things we hardly even think about or notice, or take for granted, can trigger bigger things. So we should be careful and kind. Lesson learned. Parts Boy doesn’t get it and never will. But we do. The little things can be big things. The Little Things ARE the Big Things. Thank you for reading and sharing. Feel free to leave your comments.
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