Sundays and Gas Lines

This morning when my gas gauge said I had about 32 miles left, I decided a fill up was imminent. In Nashville, people are as concerned about gas as they are about milk when they hear they hear the word "snow", so gas has been pretty scarce. When a station has gas, the lines snake down the roads, and some have waited an hour just to fill up.

I had been riding the storm, since I really didn't have any faraway destinations. But with the empty signal looming, I knew the time at come. A local website listed all gas stations with available gas and I noticed one just down the street had some, so I decided to venture out.

I first took Maribeth's car. She was in town for her weekend job, but would need to return to Murfreesboro tonight for classes. She was low on fuel, so she was top priority.

I got to the gas station and was third in my line. I watched as the person at the pump topped it off, squeezing out drop after drop. The next person had to pull up, back up, and pull around because his gas cap was on the other side of the car. I politely moved my car around to accommodate him. Unfortunately, this meant our cars were facing each other, and a fellow decided to pull in behind the current gas-getter, as if this was the gas-getting line. CGG finished pumping and pulled his car out of line and of course the line breaker pulled right in. I let him go ahead - after all it was Sunday and I am basically a nice person. He put his credit card in and started pumping his gas. I gave him a stern teacher look that said, "You know you did wrong," but in a friendly way. He attempted to stare me down, but I am too good at it. He got all of his two gallons (seriously), and then it was my turn. I filled Maribeth's car and returned home to get my car for a fill up.

By the time I got back to the station, there were a few more cars, but I was still second in line. The lady ahead of me filled up and I pulled up. The lady across from me was having problems and went inside to talk to the attendant. My gas pump wouldn't operate, and yes, they were out of gas. The other would-be gassers took it all in stride and we left the now-empty gas station.

Later in the afternoon, Steve was online and said that a local Exxon had gas and no lines. Of course by the time I got there, there was no gas. I went to a Mapco near our house, and there was gas and accompanying car lines. Mapco had a few people helping direct the lines so after about a 15-minute wait, I filled my tank and was done.

All this to say that no matter how panicked people get over gas or a gallon of milk, it all goes much more smoothly if we remember that we're all human and in this together. There are still people who think they should get special treatment. But if we can overlook their faults, then maybe the next time we're at fault, someone will overlook ours. And if we can help each other out when times are a little frazzled, then we make life better for everyone, and maybe make a new friend in the process.