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Flat Tire
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Flat Tire
I was talking to my mother as I was driving and I said aloud, “You know, I have no idea how to change a tire.” She said that I could figure it out if I had to. I was not convinced.
Two days later, on top of Hovenweep National Monument in Utah, a nice man stopped and said, “Did you know that your tire is flat?”
It was 5:00 P.M. and the park office was closed. There was no one else on the mountain. When I say the tire was flat, I mean it was completely flat. I already knew there was no phone and no cell coverage. AAA was not a possibility.
I looked at that tire and felt a sickening feeling. I looked at the man who was still in his car with the engine running and said, “I have never changed a tire in my life.”
It was over 100 degrees. I can imagine what he was thinking but thankfully, he told me he would help me.
Ron lives in Seattle and is a single father of two children. He has joint custody of these children along with their mother. Ron lives in Seattle so he can be near his children. He is a Christian and at one time was active in church. He has not found a church yet in Seattle but said he was looking.
Ron was raised in a Christian home. He was on his way to visit his parents and almost did not stop at Hovenweep. He had just finished an airplane ride in the canyons. This was his afternoon for adventure. He and I both agreed that God had sent him up that mountain.
I said a quick prayer confirming that God had not sent an ax murderer to help me. Ron seemed perfectly safe and very nice. I wondered what an ax murderer would seem like.
His first question was, “where is your jack.” My answer was “what is a jack?” Just kidding. At least, I knew what a jack was.
What I did not know is where it was or what it looked like. I apologized and told him I felt like a helpless female. My ego was suffering greatly so I quickly explained that I really was competent and had run a company. He did not seem particularly impressed but he was very kind. He actually tried to make me feel better by telling it was just because I had no experience.
His next question was, “Where is your owner’s manual?” At least I knew the answer to that. I brought it out with pride. I even knew how to look up where the jack was.
My car is packed for months on the road. It includes a bicycle on the back, two tents, three sleeping bags, a picnic table, four suitcases, a computer and a printer, a Bible, every Bible Study book known to man and woman, a box of maps, a refrigerator, a cooler, and various other boxes and satchels of tools, books, equipment, etc. The jack was under all of that. We started the laborious process of empting the car.
Ron got under the car and attached the jack. I noticed him wincing and he confessed that he had a bad back from a motor cycle accident. I could not let him do all the work with a bad back.
There is an old saying that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a meal. If you teach him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. It was time for me to learn to change a tire. I guess that is better than learning to clean a fish.
Ron did the initial set up and put the tire on. From there, he gave directions and I started tightening the lugs. Lugs are interesting because they fit either way. Ron was amazingly patient as he said to take them off and put them on the other way..
I learned about a ratchet. I cannot believe I have gone my entire life and not known about this invention. It saves energy and makes you be able to turn things, even if there is not room to turn it all the way around.
Finally, we finished the tire. Ron suggested that we leave the tire on top so it would be easy to repair. He handed me the jack and I climbed in the car to fit the jack back in its proper place. That may have been the hardest job of all. I have never been able to do jig saw puzzles. On the high school placement test, I failed the test where you had to put boxes together. After many tries, it finally went in. What a sense of accomplishment I had. I thought it positive that I only had one piece left over.
We put all of the equipment back in the car. As we loaded the impossible car, we kept reminding ourselves that everything came out of this car. We laid the tire on top of the newly created mess. It took me 2 weeks to be able to find everything and put it back in an “easy to reach” place.
I thanked Ron and left for my destination. Ron went on to hike Hovenweep. I offered him water, diet coke, maps, and food but I think he was just thankful to be finished.
I have always been afraid of repaired tires. I do not understand the technology and do not feel safe with patches. The next day, I nervously took the tire to a tire shop. I wanted the repairman to understand that I was traveling alone and didn’t want that tire to break. I think my secret goal was for him to tell me that I should buy a new tire.
I started babbling something about being a single woman traveling around the country alone. In my babbling, I forgot to mention the tire.
He looked at me and grinned and said, “What a shame. I’m working and I simply can’t go with you.”
I realized how what I said sounded and started babbling again about my husband. Discussing husbands is a technique women use to send a clear message that we are not available. When I say I was babbling, I am not exaggerating. I was clearly flustered at how I had worded my initial explanation.
He laughed aloud at me. He is a Christian, married, and has five small children. He also has a devilish sense of humor and was enjoying my discomfort.
As he took the tire, I told him I was going to out to get lunch. He grinned again and said, “Sorry, I can’t go to lunch either. I really do have to work.”
He fixed the tire for $10. He is probably still laughing at how flustered he got this 49-year-old woman. Thank God, he put the tire back on and the spare back in the proper place.
This did mean that I had to empty the car again. For some reason, the bottom of my car and the boxes were wet. Wet boxes are not very sturdy and we had some disasters. We still have no idea why the boxes were wet.
He also had no idea what that extra part was that I had left over from the day before. I have a feeling that we will one day figure out what the missing part is.
I wake up every morning and ask God to give me knowledge of his will for me and the power to carry it out. I have always heard the expression, “be careful what you pray for.” I refuse to be afraid of God. That morning, God wanted me to learn how to change a tire. He must have been listening to my conversation with my mother and as any loving Father would, he wanted my education complete.
God sent Ron to be my teacher. Ron must have been listening to God because he appeared to help me. I am sure Ron was asking God, “why me Lord?”
I pray that Ron has found a church home. I thank God for Ron. I know he made it home safely because he e-mailed me and said he has read some of my stories. He asked if I got my tire fixed. I could not help nagging him in my e-mail about the church thing. I know how easy it is to get out of the habit of going to church and I am concerned.
Please take a moment and say thank you to a God that cares enough to be watching and helping. Thank God for Ron and pray that he finds a church that will appreciate his sweet spirit. Pray for his back and for healing. He is a father. Ask God for wisdom as he balances time, love, and discipline for his children. Pray that he will be the kind of father that makes his children want to seek a Heavenly Father.
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