Monday, October 5th, 2020

A View From The Pumps October

OCTOBER

October 2020, a month and a year to remember always. The first Monday in October opens the Supreme Court’s year. This year October finds this nation and the world nearing the end of a Pandemic or is it just a stop gap before the second wave. We also find ourselves as a nation one Supreme Justice short due to the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. It is one month before what is probably going to be the most contested and controversial presidential election in the history of the United States. Red want the seat filled blue wants to wait.

October 2020, the month that the Car Care Council of America deems “Car Care Month”. It is the month that separates summer from winter. The time to winterize your car, getting the snow tires out or if you live in the frozen Tundra getting the chains out of storage. Replacing your wiper blades changing the grades of oil

that you use, making sure that your coolant is stout enough to withstand the frigid conditions that are about to occur. Getting that annual wax job to protect your cars finish from sleet and salt. Okay, we live in Florida but we didn’t always, some memories are okay to remember.

October 2020, the month that the Great Pumpkin arrives in Punta Gorda Florida. He or she sits proudly on the corner of Olympia and Rte. 41 North. Beckoning and challenging passersby to guess its weight. The prize? How about two round trip tickets to Key West on the Key West Express. Why does this happen? Because its fun, because we typically are roasted all summer, or besieged by thunderstorms and flooding and then clearly watching out for the dreaded rogue Hurricane, always named but never predictable in its course or ferocity. By the time October comes we the residents of Charlotte County need and deserve this break. Lower your mask and smile and dream about whisking away on a huge Catamaran towards the isle of laughing, carousing, drinking in excess and maybe flashing some innocent bystanders. Key West.

October 2020, riddle me this, what do Sir Isaac Newton, Nikola Tesla, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Hans Christian Anderson, Susan Boyle, Lewis Carroll, Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, James Joyce, and Michelangelo all have in common?

Why is the owner of an automotive facility writing about a month of the year?

Because all these famous people and many more have all been either diagnosed or believed to be on the Autism Spectrum. Because of Hollywood, mention Autism and “Rainman” pops to mind. Dustin Hoffman’s brilliant portrayal of a high functioning Autistic man captured the hearts of America, as did Ben Affleck’s rendition of not so innocent man in the movie The Accountant. But autistic they were. Now think of Mark, Marcus, Flynn and Lincoln. Real names and real people. Some were non functioning and then broke through and live real lives, working with in the system, some that are still not openly communicative, yet know how to get there messages out. Maybe its not them that can’t communicate but us that can’t understand.

Every October for the last 14 years Gregg’s Automotive has had a “Putting the brakes on Autism” campaign. Thanks to our partners in the industry most notably NAPA we have been able to sponsor a Free Brakes Program. That means that if you come to Gregg’s and need brakes one set of NAPA premium brakes will be donated to you the consumer. All other parts or services related to that work are at our competitive and fair rates. That is a $79.00 to over a $100.00 savings to you. At the end of the month we tally up all the brake work that we performed and then write a check to Harbour Heights Charities for 10% of that number. I have written that check for as much as $1500.00 but my goal is to reach the $2000.00 mark.

Why? Because I can and because I choose too, but mostly because I have been touched by the Flynns, Marcus’, Lincolns and Marks.

This is your chance to make it all possible for all human beings with this syndrome to flourish. We will never know where that next genius will be or when they will choose to show themselves.

God Bless America and all of her children.