It’s not unreasonable to feel a little shattered when you walk into your mechanic’s workshop to hand over the keys to your car and there’s an unfamiliar face behind the counter.
That’s how I felt as I walked away from my mechanic’s place this morning.
Maybe shattered is too strong, but I certainly felt flat for a while after finding out the fellows who have been looking after all my cars, and those of my extended family, have given the game away.
Which is fair enough, but for a little while I grappled with the nagging thought that they should have at least said goodbye to their old customers, me included.
Obviously that would have been a little impractical after all those years and the number of people involved.
But that sense of loss of someone I trusted with my cars will linger for a while, I think.
Some people will say that I have an old school attitude, and fair enough.
But I am pretty sure that things like having the same mechanic, doctor, whatever, pays off in the long run and is to be encouraged in one’s offspring.
They kind of look at me a bit funny when I give them that particular pep talk, but I don’t care – I feel like I’ve done my duty.
All this made me think about what would be the Top 5 professional relations we should continue to conduct with the same person – old school like.
Number 1. Doctor. You know what they say, if you’ve got your health…
Number 2. Dentist. When you find one who’s gentle and doesn’t charge like a bull, hello heaven.
Number 3. Butcher. A lot of people disagree with this, but I have no doubt if you buy from a good butcher your meat will be so much better. Problem is Woolies and Coles are putting the old fashioned Aussie butchers out of business.
Number 4. Mechanic. See above.
Number 5. Barber or hairdresser. I can’t understand people who go to someone different every time they want a haircut.
