First Brake Job

One of Matt's favorite things to do is to teach friends how to do simple mechanical maintenance jobs for their own vehicles. The markup on oil changes and brake jobs is insane, plus there really is a great personal satisfaction in knowing how to do these small jobs yourself (I know... being able to change my own oil and tires was my dad's non-negotiable prerequisite for getting my driver's permit.)

Recently, Matt showed our new friend, Daniel, how to change his own brake rotors. Daniel told Matt that because Matt showed him how to do the job himself, he saved over FIVE HUNDRED dollars from what the dealership quoted!! Hooray for Daniel.

Daniel proudly showing his new found mechanic skills.

Matt likes to get his hands dirty; he doesn't simply sit back and instruct. He demonstrates.

Sometimes it's so easy for us to spot other people's skills and talents that we can tend to forget our own. I had to fight off talent envy as my extremely artistically talented sis took brilliant photos of and designed a fabulous program for the formerly engaged couple. Matt says that he wishes he had Charlie's biblical/theological, historical, and political knowledge (and that I could cook like Lynne) :). I could go on and on about the wonderful talents of so many of our family and friends. It'd be really easy to focus on the talents we find ourselves insufficiently gifted with instead of being thankful for the ones that we do have.

I love that Matt is so mechanically talented. I do admit that occasionally it drives me crazy as he over analyzes aloud how something works (or about how poorly something might've been designed), but I honestly appreciate that he has this gift. I love that he also enjoys sharing his knowledge with others by teaching them how to work with their hands. (And I especially love that I don't have to worry about checking my oil ever again!)