We human beings are awfully good at fooling ourselves. How much I have struggled with pride, convinced I knew more about something than I actually did, only occasionally realizing I am captive to a mortal frailty that lies to itself and is almost never conscious of it.

In recent years I have accepted that even at my best I have never been more than a mediocre mechanic. I may have an ethos born of considerable training and above-average knowledge and a load of experience that could be called commendable and at times can even seem very professional, but what good is it? If I am not consistently expert, it's not real. I am sure now that I have seldom lived up to my perception of my abilties. There are times when despite more than a continuous half-century at repair and maintenance I understand I am not that different from a DIYer. How shocking yet fleeting is the sudden insight into my own innate hubris. How deceptive pride, how freeing humility.