I spent Saturday in the parking lot of The Auto Zone on River Drive in Charlottesville, VA replacing my alternator. The prior Wednesday I spent sitting in Bob’s Wheel Alignment getting my solenoid and battery replaced. I’m baffled about why the mechanics didn’t bother to test the alternator. Finding out it too was bad could have made them more money, but obviously customer service and initiative wasn’t high on their list Wednesday. But Bob was kind (as always) and let me sleep in my van while parked in his lot. Thanks Bob! YOU rock.

So, I bought the alternator ($36.74) and replaced it myself. It was hot, greasy, nasty, sweaty work, but it felt good to know I could “do it myself.” But as I laid in the grease on the hot asphalt, in the sun, burning myself repeatedly on the hot engine parts that hadn’t cooled completely I thought about Bob’s Wheel Alignment and how unlikely I am to go back to them ever, even though I like Bob.

But I also thought about how I’ve been trusting the universe/God to take care of me on this trip. On Monday for instance, Ken Moss drove out 30+ miles to get my van started when it broke down in a gas station outside Lynchburg. I know Ken from his incredible bio-diesel processing plant in Gretna, VA. He’s not only a brilliant man, but a kind, generous and helpful one.

Once I got to Charlottesville, VA and the van died again on Tuesday (I still hadn’t realized it was the alternator since it died slowly and worked mostly), I had the volunteers at Martha Jefferson Hospital offering to jump the van or help however they could. I ended up calling Suzanna Turner, an old friend, who came to the rescue and helped me get to Bob’s. Bob let me spend the night in the parking lot in the van.

When the van died again at the Food Lion parking lot, Don, a businessman in Fluvanna County, saw me standing with jumper cables in hand and immediately offered to help out. He was the one who noticed that my battery cables had been installed backward - with the red on negative and the black on positive. Had he not spotted that we would have blown the batteries. So much for the mechanics who installed THAT!

All along the way friends, acquaintances and strangers stepped up to help. A career Army guy named James even stopped by while I was under the van at Auto Zone and helped install the last bolt and muscle the alternator back into place - getting the belt tighter than I could have. He refused my offer of pay or even a cold drink and was a gem. So, I got on the road far quicker than I could have otherwise. And now the van is running well.

Trusting God? Or trusting human nature? I think it’s both. It’s amazing to see how the world opens to you when you expect it to. Try it. You’ll be amazed.