For community

by Pati Beaudoin

If you've read my bio you know that I've been trying to create community for a long time. I really like bumping into people I know while I'm shopping, reading in the common room or meandering through town, and that's what spurred me to become a member of KCC. But yesterday I realized another reason for living in community.

When I turned the key in my car's ignition on December 24th, thinking to run out for one last thing before everything closed down, I got nothing. No rur-rur-rur, no vroom, not even a click. OK, I thought, call CAA -- but my membership had expired. OK, I thought, renew on the 27th, walk to the store today. And I did just that.

On the 27th I first renewed my CAA membership, then called my mechanic, but nobody was answering, so I put out a query to the KCC community asking for the name of a decent mechanic. In just a few minutes emails came in with help -- lots of advice about CAA and jumper cables, so I wrote again explaining more fully -- that the large SUV was in a tiny garage, nose in, I couldn't raise the hood, so even though I have jumper cables (somewhere) I couldn't use them, and the car has a bunch of little problems that need attention.

Then the mechanics' names started coming in. But it was December 27th during the pandemic, and the first three I tried didn't answer. J&M, which just happens to be less than two kilometres from my house, answered and could take my car that day. I then called CAA to arrange for a jump or a tow, whichever could work. They arrived in less than 3 minutes! The CAA guy found a way to open the hood and fastened the jumper cables, I got in, turned the key, and the engine sprang to life like Dr. Frasier's Glockenspiel! (If you haven't seen that episode of Frasier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkyqbtL1d3Y )

I was so happy I jumped into the car and drove to J&M to drop it off. They couldn't predict when it would be ready, and because of the pandemic they couldn't shuttle me home. Even though the walk would only be 2 kilometres, I was wearing a light jacket and Birkenstocks with light socks, and the sidewalks were piled with cold slush. Yuck. I could do it, but I'd really rather not.

Dave McPherson had offered me a lift earlier, so I thought, "Call Dave," but I didn't have his number -- so I called Aukje, who looked up his number for me. He arrived in a few minutes, and as he drove me home, he said he would have been glad to come to my house, help me push the car out of the garage and jump it. "Wow," I said, "that's a lot of work, and I don't like to use my friends for hard labour," remembering that I've graduated from getting friends to help me move for pizza and beer. But Dave said it wouldn't be a lot to him.

When mechanical things go wrong in my life, I go into "call the expert" mode. I don't want to fuss with it, don't want to try because when it comes to mechanical things, I'm stereotypically helpless. I just don't have the neurological velcro to store that sort of information in a way that it stays. I told Dave about my "call the expert" mode and he got it right away and accepted that that's the way my mind works. (But it turns out Dave has expertise I didn't know about, so I may call on him yet.)

Later the same day the car was ready to pick up -- this time I put boots on and got in the walk I needed for the day -- 25 minutes to the shop.

One of the things I like about this community is that, even though we're not living in community yet, we are an "acting community." We aren't waiting until we live together to act as community. The helpfulness of our community members is not something I was looking for when I joined this group, but it makes me even more grateful to be part of KCC.