My Amazing Friend

A few weeks ago, my friend Shirley was sideswiped by a truck driven by illegal aliens from Mexico (no, this will not be a rant about immigration). They hit her car at an intersection and took off (hit and run). Luckily Shirley was not injured, but her new Toyota Matrix was damaged in the right rear quarter panel.

She took the car in to have the dents hammered out, but the guy who did it was a con man and did a very poor job (see “before” picture below). He left globs of bondo on the work and it looked horrible.

My friend Shirley never ceases to amaze me.

What did she do? She did some research about car paint and painting techniques; she had the paint mixed at an auto paint store, since the dealer could only provide little “fingernail polish sized” paint bottles. She purchased primer, sanding materials, clear coat, gloves, and other protective equipment. Then she waited for a wind-free day.

She sanded. She primed. She spray-painted. She clear-coated. She actually fixed the car herself! See the before and after pictures below.

Now here is the amazing part: Shirley is 73 years old!

Remember my post yesterday about the elderly and the amazing abilities of the older brain? Well…Shirley is my inspiration and observing her in action gives me constant encouragement about the resilience and learning power of the older brain!! I am so grateful to have such a wonderful role model in my life!!

Before and after photos!