Welcome back to Tire Mom! At Kimball Farms, which is near Boston, MA, I encountered my first skeptic. Over breakfast on the morning of June 2, 2018, my friend Jenn and I talked while eating a yummy meal. She was hopeful that her friend Linnea needed new tires, so she got her on the phone and presented her with my offer.

Linnea didn’t believe her.

When you really think about it, you can’t blame her. Seriously, who arrives in town, virtually out of the blue, and offers to buy a set of tires for you? Someone who doesn’t even know you? Tires – one of the most expensive purchases you can make in the upkeep of your car. 

No, she wasn’t having it.

Me, Jenn and Linnea

Finally, I asked Jenn to turn the phone over to me. I’m not sure whether it was my passion, my straightforward way (anyone who knows me will tell you I have one…) or the agreement I proposed, but she relented to meeting us at the tire store.

The deal? I would buy her two tires, and we’d have the tire technician check the others. 

A flood of relief washed over me when the tech at the store pointed out that all the tires on her vehicle needed to be replaced, and it was clear he wasn’t just trying to make a sale. Two were visibly worn – which happens on all-wheel drives – and all four had old dates in their halos. 

Needless to say, Linnea got four new tires. I received the realization that not everyone trusts generosity. Many have come to believe – and unfortunately from bad experience – that when someone offers you a free gift, there must be something in it for them. Actually, there was something in it for me. I was thwarting potential accidents, maybe even saving lives.

Gimli at the Public Garden- Make way for Ducklings

And enjoying a beautiful journey in the process. For the rest of my stay in Boston, I felt glimpses of joy seeping into my heart. Such wonderful memories of my family at the Public Garden, swimming in Walden Pond in Concord, going to the Boston Temple. Those memories were becoming far less painful, and far more sweet.

Boston, MA Temple with Dogwood Tree!

If you want to comment – and I hope you do – when have you been met with skepticism while doing something generous and good? What was your response? Whatever that response, it’s welcome here. 

Me walking around Walden Pond- One of my happy places:)

 Stay Safe,

Diana Hubner, The Tire Mom