This was the scene yesterday afternoon. I was sitting on the side of Interstate 80 in Iowa. With a flat tire. It was 5:45 p.m. We left home at 4 a.m. yesterday morning. 4:07 a.m. to be exact. We had an 18 hour drive planned. Hard day Wednesday. Easier day Thursday. Very easy days after that. At least until we start the long drive back home heading east in 10 days. We’d had a good travel day, although we were about 40 minutes behind schedule when we got a flat tire on the trailer.
As the road noise became loud, then louder I said, “what’s that?” John replied, “the road surface.” A few seconds later I asked if he was sure it wasn’t a tire and about the same time he said, “it’s a tire.”
As he made his way to the side of the road, I found myself saying thank The Lord it isn’t raining. We had driven through some terrible storms a bit earlier and then I said thank The Lord it isn’t dark.
It would not be a quick tire change. The car had to be almost completely unloaded to get to the jack. The shoulder was sloping in such a fashion that it made getting the jack in a safe place a bit difficult. But I was not worried. The traffic was whizzing by at 70 mph. I said a quick prayer asking The Lord to keep us all safe. And he did.
It is funny, I think a few years ago my first thoughts would have been vastly different. I’ve of lamented the loss of time. I’d of been annoyed that my 18 hour day in the car would be closer to 20. I have no idea what else I might have complained about or been disappointed with. Instead in the last few years, I have begun to see the beauty in the unexpected places of life’s journey, I find that there must be a reason or a purpose for the unexpected stops and detours of life’s road.
There must be some lesson to be learned. Or some beauty to behold.
So, I’ll be thankful for the time spent on the side of the road. Using my wi-fi only iPad to snap a photo and compose a blog post using my Blogger app. Then, when I have a wi-fi connection, I’ll push publish.
I’ll continue learning on this journey called life and wait to see what is around the bend.
Have you ever learned a lesson from a flat tire or other road side expierence?
Oh no, Mary. That's a shame. I'm glad you were safe. I'm also glad you were okay with the unexpected. Getting a flat tire is a fear of mine. I've never had one and I hope I never do.