I am so thankful for the men in my life. They encourage me to try new things out of my comfort zone. Seriously, I don’t know what I would do without them.
Especially when I find myself in situations like the one I’m in this week. I was driving home from church on Sunday when my car’s rearview mirror fell off. I was shocked. It has happened before, so I wasn’t completely alarmed.
I did, however, feel helpless. I drove the rest of the way home with the mirror just dangling there, not exactly sure what I needed to do. When it comes to cars, I’m almost completely clueless. I know how to fill a car up with gas, and just before coming to Colorado for the summer, my dad showed me how to add oil. If something other than that goes wrong, I haven’t the slightest idea what to do. Basically, I fit the stereotype of girls and cars.
When I got home from church, I called my parents and asked how to glue the mirror back on the windshield. My dad told me to go to the store and find a rearview mirror adhesive kit that included all these things like a razor blade to scrape off the old glue from the window.
I feel completely out of place in the automotive department of any store. I have no idea where to find something like a rearview mirror adhesive kit. The first store I went to was out of the glue I needed, so I went to a second one.
The employee at the register asked me if I knew how the kit works, and he then proceeded to ask if I planned to fix the mirror by myself or if I had help. He said I would probably want help. I don’t think that’s something he would have asked another guy.
I’m sure he didn’t mean it the way I’m making it sound. He was being helpful at the least, but his comments made me feel incapable. Sure, I have no idea what I’m doing and did end up needing more direction, but I didn’t want him to know that!
I don’t like feeling incapable of doing something or having people think I’m incapable of doing something just because I’m a girl. I would much rather ask for help on my own than have someone assume I have no idea what I’m doing.
Maybe it’s a pride issue. Maybe there’s a hint of, “Yeah, I’m a girl. So what?” I don’t want to fit the stereotype. But at the same time, I kind of do want someone to glue the mirror on for me.
After reading through the instructions in the kit, I was even more confused about what to do. And I was hesitant to try because I didn’t want to mess it up. I still haven’t reattached the mirror. Did I mention it’s really not my car? I’m borrowing it from my parents for the summer.
I would at least like to have someone help by watching to make sure I do it right. I’m a determined person, and I don’t like giving up easily. I learn best by doing things myself, and I don’t want to be limited in my knowledge of “real world” things just because I’m a girl.
I called my brother last night to talk about tools I might need to remove the metal button that glues to the windshield. He first asked me if I had unattached the wiring and taken down the mirror. I didn’t know I could do that. Thanks to him, it’s no longer dangling helplessly.
After I took down the mirror, I e-mailed my brother a picture of the metal button. He told me I’ll need an allen wrench to take it off. I asked what that was. He found a set online and told me to order it.
Once the allen wrench set arrives in the mail this week, that mirror is going back on the windshield. And I’m determined to fix it myself.
