On my way to work yesterday I ran over a nail. I had just pulled off the interstate to meet my mother-in-law at our usual meeting place near my office. When I pulled off the street I thought my van sounded a little funny but it wasn’t alarming. I transferred Ali over to her Nana and we chatted for a while, standing right beside my van. When I got back in and began to drive to work, I immediately recognized the sound of a flat tire. I pulled into the gas station across the street, thankful for a safe place to park. It was a perfect fall day—clear and sunny with a breeze. My tire was completely flat. I texted my boss and then Jason and then my dad to cancel our lunch date. Then I called AAA and requested assistance to put the spare on. Then I went into the gas station and bought a drink and some snacks (because baby Froggie makes me hungry ALL THE TIME). The repair tech didn’t take long to show up and did his job. Set up with the spare, I took the long way on back roads to our favorite neighborhood mechanic. They were able to patch it up quickly and it only cost me $15. I got to work almost exactly 2 hours late. What could have been a dangerous or uncomfortable experience was actually a kind of fun morning adventure. I just kept thinking over and over again about all that I was thankful for:
• Beautiful weather, not too hot or too cold to sit outside
• I was at a gas station with a convenience store full of yummy snacks
• The flat didn’t occur on the interstate where I had been minutes earlier
• My three year old was already safely with her Nana
• We have AAA so it just took one phone call and someone was there to assist me in less than an hour
• I have a cell phone and a charger to contact help, notify my work and look up a route to the mechanic
• I discovered a new route back to my neighborhood from my office thanks to the “avoid highways” button on my Google maps app
• Social media kept me from getting bored while I waited
• Our mechanic is reliable, quick and inexpensive
• The whole ordeal only took two hours
• I dealt with it all by myself (Girl Power!)
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It’s good to have perspective. I have so much to be thankful for and a little nail puncture in my tire isn’t enough to ruin my day.
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