A Little Muffler Shop in Lawrenceville
Updated: Aug 27, 2018
Just a few weeks ago, I was out running errands on a particularly hot Atlanta day. I mean hhhawwwwt! The kind of day where you run the AC in the car for a minute before you strap the kids into their car seats. My 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son were in the back seat annoying each other like siblings do, while I cruised along Highway 316. Suddenly, my old Mercedes started shaking violently, and then slowed to an eventual stop. My eyes darted back and forth between the traffic in my rear view and the scared look on my children's faces while I pulled the stiff wheel to the right out of harm's way. I reassured them that everything was going to be okay, but I was not excited when the AC (and everything else) powered off. My cell phone was on 2%, just my luck... There wasn't even enough battery to explain where I was... It was nearly 30 minutes before a good Samaritan pulled over and gave me a jump. The nearest shop was a few minutes away, and he followed me there to make sure we made it. I thanked him sincerely, and he was on his way.
Harold's Automotive & Muffler Shop on Hurricane Shoals Road in Lawrenceville didn't look like much from the outside, but it felt like we'd waited hours to get there! Inside, I found a senior gentleman wearing a dark shirt and a baseball hat-Harold. He asked me how I was doing and how he could help. I explained my situation to him, while my kids whined about how hot and hungry and bored they were... Harold didn't miss a beat. He walked into his air conditioned office, and flipped the TV to a cartoon. "Come on in, kids," he said to them. "It's too hot out there." Their frowns turned to smiles and they I thanked him profusely before replacing the pulley on my car. The gentleman who had been changing another customer's oil had just finished up, walked over to me, and said, "Harold asked me to change your belt, he said, picking up the unopened box. I watched for 30 minutes in shock as these professionals took time out of their lives to help someone they had never met. I looked over at my kids laughing at the show they were watching and I thought "I hope that if they every found themselves in a spot as adults that they would run into the types of people who help others, even when they have nothing to gain from it.
Harold and I chatted briefly while the gentleman finished up. I told him I had recently started my own moving company after realize how much I loved it as my 9-5 job. He explained a similar story about his auto shop. He genuinely loves what he does, and he's managed to make an entire life of it. I was inspired and proud, and then I got a little sad to think here was this tiny, unassuming shop that many people probably drive by without a second thought... But in it was a man with a huge heart who is just as good if not better than any of the big franchise muffler shops.
I promised him then and there that I would give him a shout out on Facebook for his help. I decided I could do one better, and instead wrote this blog. There are good people in the world. In the world we live in today, it's so easy to focus on all the negative things we see. It's so easy to be utterly outraged, and perpetually angry at the things that happen in our society and around the world today. But also, it's important to remember, that people like Harold exist all around us. We may all look very different, but there are good people everywhere. We all need a little help sometimes, so be kind to one another. And if you're ever in the unique position to help someone when they need it, you should.
I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to Harold's Automotive & Muffler Shop on Hurricane Shoals Road in Lawrenceville, and encourage my fellow ATLiens to support their small business.
Anthony Burnett
Co-Owner, COO
Metro Moving Company
Atlanta, GA