Why You Should Talk

Here’s a personal story that underscores for me the importance of talking to people.

I started going to a yoga class in the fall. Until the beginning of April, I really knew nothing about the instructor except that she has an older child and left her home country to escape the effects of Russia's war in Ukraine. My husband was driving our car at the start of April with our son and two friends in the backseat when an object hit the second row passenger window and it was shattered to pieces. Thankfully, everyone was okay. Then began the time consuming and disheartening process of trying to find a new window for our 2010 vehicle, of which there are only a few in this entire country. 

A few days after this incident, I went to yoga class (I wasn't even meant to go that day, but I had a meeting rescheduled). I was exhausted from trying to find a solution to locate this discontinued car window - being without a car and having three kids to cart around isn't easy. I shared what happened. She tells me she works part-time for a car parts supplier that locates parts across Europe and ships them! 

Literally, in less than one week we had a new window and got it installed. We had ZERO other options. I had called several glassmakers (specific to cars!) here AND in Poland, our old car repair shop in Virginia, searched online, and friends in the U.S. kindly searched online. No joke: everyone said it didn't exist anymore and/or they couldn't make a piece of glass to fit. We'd been talking about the possibility of getting a new car because of a missing window. 

This taught me a very valuable lesson: don't hold back. Talk. Tell people what's happening in your life. Ask for help when you need it. The person you don't expect to be able to help may be able to solve a major problem for you, whether personal or professional. 

Photo credit: Alexis Brown