Learning Through Teaching

Today I was called upon to help an elderly lady from New Jersey buy and pump gasoline into her car. Several months ago I was surprised to learn that the State of New Jersey does not allow patrons to pump their own gasoline. Only an employee of a service station is allowed to do that. Consequently, I wasn’t totally shocked when the lady said she was traveling from New Jersey and asked if I could show her how to do it.

I could imagine teaching my granddaughter, or some other youngster how to refuel a car, but it never occurred to me that I would ever be asked to teach a senior citizen how to do that. I’ve been pumping gasoline since well before I was old enough to drive a car. In fact, I’ve even used an “Okie credit card” once or twice (for those of you unfamiliar with the term, it’s a siphon hose used to transfer fuel from one car to another…and that’s all I’m going to say about that.)

She was a quick and bright student and accomplished the task on the very first attempt. However, I did point out that when the pump computer asked for a zip code she should enter the zip code of her credit card billing address. The first time I was asked for the zip code while refueling a rental car in Florida my thought was, “How the heck would I know this zip code? I live in California!”

Ever curious, I wondered how many states other than New Jersey require “professionals” to pump gasoline. Thanks to an internet resource, I discovered that Oregon is the only other state that does not allow patrons to refuel their cars. I also learned something else in my search for knowledge. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires self-serve gasoline stations to provide equal access (someone to pump the gasoline) to their customers with disabilities, and without any charge beyond the self-serve price.

Once again, I was reminded that if you don’t walk in someone else’s shoes you really can’t appreciate where they have been or what obstacles they may encounter.

“It is enough that I am of value to somebody today.” – Hugh Prather