The 1970 Movie “The Out of Towners” is a Neil Simon screwball comedy about a couple’s misadventures about going to NYC for an important interview. But nothing on this trip goes according to plan. George (played by Jack Lemmon) is thrown off his neatly planned, orderly life into chaos—testing his resilience to life’s events.

We left Santa Cruz for a two-week trip north up the coast in our new 2021 camper van. Five nights RV camping in Lassen National Park was first. Some days were hot, but beneath the shade of tall pines the days passed quietly and peacefully. These days were filled with the changing light, birds singing, reading, and much time “noticing.” I came up with numerous sermons and ideas for Small Group Ministry sessions.

Then, we traveled to Grants Pass, Oregon for a stay at a local brew pub. As we backed into a parking place, the transmission would not go into reverse or drive. A terrible noise came from the engine. This was a moment of reflection—it was over 95 degrees, we were in full sun, it was Friday afternoon at 5:30pm, and we couldn’t drive our vehicle. The RV was NEW. I had a choice: get angry or adapt and be patient. I chose the latter.

We called roadside assistance for our RV with frustrating results. The agent told us that a tow truck would be 90 minutes out and would not allow my family to be in the truck cab. How were we to get anywhere without a ride? It was hot, we were stranded, and the tow company was quite rude. Our RV has about 2,000 miles on it, so the transmission should not go out! Since every repair place was closed until Monday, I decided to tow our vehicle to an RV park where we could use electric power to run the AC (almost 100 degrees over the weekend). I had a choice: get angry or adapt and be patient. I chose the latter.

The RV Park close by was closing when I called, but a kind woman said we could have a space for 3 nights till Monday morning. We were lucky because she had a cancellation earlier in the day. She was leaving for the day, and we could settle up in the morning. She said to use a local towing company (this is a small town where folks know each other). The local tow company showed up and a kind driver (raised in Cupertino) towed us to the RV park. We connected electricity and we had AC to help with the 95+ degree heat. Being safe and cool, I began to process what had happened. I had a choice: get angry or adapt and be patient. I chose the latter.

We spent the weekend in Grants Pass planning out our next steps. We called the tow company to arranged for our RV to be towed to Medford (30 miles away) to a large Dodge dealership for repairs. The tow company said they couldn’t be there before noon on Monday. This could have upset me, because I thought the earlier the better (the Dodge service opens at 6:00AM). My call ended with a resignation that it would be midday Monday to the Dodge dealership. The tow company called back—they could tow the vehicle on Monday at 8:00AM. Our RV refrigerator was full of food, so we bought a Coleman cooler at a local Safeway and carried it back 2 miles to our broken RV in preparation for whatever was next.

We arrived at the Medford Dodge dealership about 8:30AM. I was thrilled. We made hotel and rental car reservations for 5 days to allow for the dealership to fix our transmission. The dealership was quite large with many bays (maybe 25 or so) for all size of vehicle repairs. This was a great find! I had a detailed plan—well thought out. I was hopeful.

The advisor told us that they could not look at our RV for 2 to 3 weeks. They had very few technicians/mechanics. He also said that parts were not available for most repairs. They had just finished a transmission repair—and had to wait 5 weeks for parts to arrive. I heard the receptionist on a phone call tell a client that the next available slot for a diagnosis for their car was September. I had a choice: get angry or adapt and be patient.

I had read about the current state of our economy in the major news sources. Unemployment was at a record low. Wages have increased 5% on average in the last year. I had read about supply problems of all kinds with mild interest, but also read that the flow of goods was improving. Yet here I was encountering a shortage of skilled workers and huge delays in supply chain—and this was affecting ME!

I talked with the advisor and mechanic—both nice guys (after they knew I wasn’t going berserk with anger). The pandemic essentially shut the dealership down—and employees were furloughed. Most all had to find other jobs to survive. Now that the pandemic restrictions were easing—few technicians/mechanics have returned to work—they had to find other employment opportunities. So, I learned that while employment was at a very low rate—the job market distribution has significantly changed—people have not returned to their previous occupations. It takes several years to become a skilled, certified technician/ mechanic— so this skilled labor shortage will last.
AND
Parts (whether domestic or international) are backlogged at 4 to 6 weeks out. The mechanic told me that his work boots are backordered, and estimated delivery is September.
The tow truck driver told me one of their vehicles was down for 6 weeks waiting for a simple part—impacting their business and countless stranded motorists.
The impacts of the pandemic on life—MY LIFE—were no longer an academic issue, but very real. I had a choice: get angry or adapt and be patient. I chose the latter.

But—my well-organized plans were destroyed. It was brutally hot—breaking local records. Climate change was not an academic issue to ponder—it was here and affecting ME. The Dodge advisor told me while the heat was bad, he said that he was happy about the air quality. For the previous two Julys, the wildfires’ smoke made life here horrible, with visibility often reduced to only a few yards.

We decided not to stay in Medford for 5 to 6 weeks waiting for parts. We arranged for one-way rental car to drive home to Santa Cruz. We would need to swap our belongings and dogs from one rental car to the other at the hotel—then return the original car rental. We’ll have to return to Medford in a month (or two) to pick up our RV and drive it home. This was not according to my plan at all—but I had a choice……..

We showed up for the one-way Medford car rental on time—but there were no cars. A kind, apologetic representative (raised in Santa Cruz) called the local airport rental location and told me it would be 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, he explained that they are very short of employees and called again. After 45 minutes a car arrived. With only 500 miles on the car, it was dusty inside and out. He had it rinsed off and offered a discount of a free tank of gas. While I was leery of a “new” vehicle, I drove to the hotel to swap our belongings—when I noticed there was no passenger head rest. Out of a safety concern—I returned the car to the agency. The kind, apologetic representative again called for another car. After another 30 minutes a one-way rental car appeared, and I was given another discount. I drove the hotel to swap our belongings and get the dogs in place. We returned the original local rental car—though it was past the cut-off time for the day, and I was charged for returning it late by 30 minutes–$35 per hour is their late rate. I had another choice…………..

Life is not predictable. Plans are not guaranteed. Everything can change in a moment. The choices we make determine the quality of our life. I wonder if the anger and divisiveness in our country/world is because there are millions of people experiencing what I did (or worse). I’m no saint, but I have the means to adjust to challenges with options that others don’t. Anger is an understandable reaction to being without a car for 6 weeks—being without a job for two years—losing your housing because of unemployment—being stranded 500 miles from home—and the challenges of having all predictability in life destroyed. Widespread frustration is the seedbed of anger and fuels the rise of authoritarian governance. When all your plans are destroyed—any promise of change is embraced.

My hope and prayers are for all of us to adapt to the new world order that we are entering. Things are not the same—and many of the changes will impact you directly. Things will not go according to your plans. Unexpected surprises and loss will fill our future. May we choose to adapt and be patient for our own benefit—and for all those around us.

Yours in shared ministry…………..Rev Russ