Jumper cables aren't appliances that we give much thought to until their function becomes necessary. I learned this the hard way last night, when I accidentally drained the battery of our Malibu by innocently reading to music. Who knew that a mere half hour of Top 40 accompaniment could sap a car of its life force?

Anyway, mom and I were thankful to be in a good place - the church parking lot - and to have assistance from a thoughtful lady driving a van full of rambuncious children, along with our pastor, whose sense of calm in minorly stressful situations is truly inspiring. I'm happy to report that I now know how to properly attach jumper cables between cars! In case you aren't sure how this works, I'll tell you:

Step #1: Attach the red cable to the [metal portion of] bolt that is surrounded by red rubber on the "empowering" vehicle's battery. Next, attach the black cable to the [metal portion of] bolt that is surrounded by black rubber.

Step #2: [Not for the faint of heart!] Test your connection by clicking the copper ends of the non-connected cables together. If all is well, giant sparks should result. ((I may or may not have screamed like a little girl.))

Step #3: Attach the remaining black cable to the [metal portion of] bolt that is surrounded by black rubber on the "drained" vehicle's battery. Follow this by attaching the red cable to the [metal portion of] bolt that is surrounded by red rubber.

Step #4: Have the driver of the "empowering" vehicle revv his/her engine for a count of 10. ["Tug boats" and/or "Mississippi(s)" are encouraged.]

Step #5: Ask the driver of the "drained" vehicle to attempt to start the car. [In our case this took two tries.]


This whole scenario got me thinking. Are there people in my life who I treat like jumper cables, if you will? People who go unappreciated until something happens to me and I find myself in need of their help? Unfortunately, I'm sure that they exist. Today I'm going to really reflect on who these people are, and come up with some ways to more consistently demonstrate my appreciation for them. I think that when we let others know that they are important to us, and that we admire their strengths and talents, they are encouraged, and a circle of positivity can be established.