Last week, I basically groveled at all of you to give money to the NNPCW Scholarship Fund. I have heard one story of someone who responded to the blog post by giving for my birthday, but I don’t know about the rest of you… giving doesn’t have to be limited to my birthday, you know. Carrie Weisbard from CoCo was 21 yesterday, and so you’re also welcome to donate $21 in honor of her big 2-1. Or my cousin Carrie will be 24 tomorrow, so we’ll take $24 for Carrie.

Some people did give me real live gifts for my birthday, too. My mom is supposedly sending me a journal that has not yet materialized in the mail (hint, hint), I got money from my grandparents and David’s parents, and Brianne gave both Bridgett and me (yes, Bridgett was 27 on January 22—$27 is nice….) some funky woman business card holders. David sent me a dozen beautiful red roses. But NNPCW alumna Amy Robinson gave me one of the most unique gifts—Auto Repair for Dummies.

I must confess that when I saw Auto Repair for Dummies in the gift bag, I was a bit befuddled. After all, I’ve never shown any mechanical tendencies, never took wood shop or metal shop in high school. And despite my love for my ‘Stang, cars aren’t particularly my thing.

Only after reading the intro did it dawn on me that Amy is a genius. This book isn’t for the car-savvy, like my Grandpa Bruce. Auto Repair for Dummies really and truly is for dummies—the first chapter gives an in-depth explanation of how to pump gas and open your hood. But from there, you learn all about the internal combustion system of your car, how to perform basic maintenance tasks, what tools to buy, and how to interpret those funny noises your car makes.

Of course, Amy knows me well enough to know that I find cars a great source of disempowerment and fear. Every little noise that comes out of the ‘Stang scares me to death. Every time I take the car into the shop, I’m afraid that the mechanic will rip me off because I’m a woman who doesn’t know any better.

This book, on the other hand, is written by a woman who understands that feeling. Unlike most books you would probably pick up on auto repair, Deanna Sclar actually assumes that women will be working on the car. Her safety tips include pulling back long hair so that it doesn’t get caught in the fan belt. At one point she explains how to build a ramp that will allow you to change your own flat tire if you don’t have the upper body strength to lift it.

I’m not writing this as a huge endorsement for Auto Repair for Dummies, per se. But we women do need to learn about our cars. “Why?,” you say, “when I have my dad to work on it? Or I can pay an auto mechanic to do that?” Because you may not always live near your father, or your brother, or have a husband or boyfriend to check out your car for you. You may be driving home alone from a friend’s house at night when your tire goes flat, and there is no one to call. Or you may feel that having to ask a man to check your oil for you only plays into “damsel in distress” cultural stereotypes and just plain makes you feel stupid.

Yes, my friends, you can not only check your oil, but change it, too. You can paint that wall or balance that checkbook. And men, you can bake some great cookies, too. My dad sure did—and he worked at a very “masculine” job as a crane operator. He even made an entire batch of strawberry jam one year, just because he felt like it!

God calls us to live a life of love, not one of fear and ignorance. And if we’re to fully live into what God calls us to be, it is time to take responsibility for basic life skills. Even if that means learning to pop open the hood of your car.

“She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong.” --Proverbs 31:16-17

Kelsey