whenever i'm having a shitty day, i think about the guy on the side of the road (on the way to or from work) that has a flat tire. i always think, well...my day may be shitty, but at least i'm not that guy. well, today, friends...i was was that guy. (girl, whatever.) today also happened to be one of those days in my life that i wanted to hit the do over button. i woke up extremely tired, didn't want to go to work, my students were bonkers, i had a lot of stuff to get done, and then while driving to the gym (the ONLY day this week i could go due to schedule conflicts)...i ran over an extra large BOLT. i had my windows down and heard the pop and immediately my tire pressure light went on. i pulled over, got out, saw the outside of the bolt and said bleep ble bleep bleep bleep. (insert curse words there.) the thing was huge and my tire was not blown, but there was air leaking out at a fantastic rate of speed. i had to think fast. i didn't want to be abandoned on the side of the road and i was only about a half a mile from a valvoline place that i frequent. i decided to try to make it there. i hopped in the car and could hear the air exploding out of the hole and the bolt hitting the asphalt every time it went around. (cripes.) praise baby jesus...i made it.
when i pulled in, i hopped out of the car and there were about 7 guys working. it was hot as the devil's nutsack outside and i felt bad for them. they were all wearing pants and boots...and sweating profusely. it was so hot that i might've been appropriate for them to just be nude. (hot as balls.) seems mother nature believes it is july, when it's really september. she's confused. (typical woman.) i was wearing a black dress that was covered in elmers glue and 5 year old snot...pretty sure there might've also been a smear of puke on it too, cause i had a child that projectile vomited today. (like i said, shitty day all around.) i walked up to one of the guys and said, "i'm pretty sure i hit a large bolt, i was wondering if you could see if you could either plug the tire or put the spare on for me?" he introduced himself as, "michael." (not mike or mikey...michael.) i said, "what's up, michael...i'm trish." we shook hands. he came over and saw the bolt and said, "HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THAT THING!?" (ah gees.) he got some tools and proceeded to pull it out of my tire. he started laughing and said, "where the hell were driving?" i said, "route 2." he said, "the chances of you hitting this at just the right spot and it going into your tire like this are slim to none." i explained that this was the cherry on the shitty day sundae and i wasn't surprised it happened. (not surprised at all.)
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| the bolt |
so then i decided to just go to the mazda dealership afterwards. michael assured me i could make it there safely. my five plug tire and i went 40mph and made it there without incident. i walked in and slapped the bolt up on the desk and said, "this was just in my tire about 15 minutes ago. i don't have the tire key. i need someone to help put on the spare. please help." i wasn't trying to be funny...but apparently i was. anthony, (not tony, anthony.) started laughing and yelled to a group of dudes, "YO GUYS! LOOK AT THIS THING...it was IN HER TIRE!" (oh good, glad this is amusing to ya'll.) i also told anthony about my shitty day sundae and how the tire incident was the cherry on top. he told me, "not to worry...he'd take care of it." i went into the waiting room and sat down. i was so tired that i feared if i closed my eyes, i would fall asleep and make a fool of myself. (drool and all.) i played some games on my phone, called and talked to another mom (of 3 wild ones) about her shitty day, and about a half hour later anthony came out and said, "you are all set! we got the spare on." (yes.) he didn't charge me a cent. (i think he feared i would assault him.) i was standing there with him and another guy pricing tires...when in walked a full uniformed army officer. we all stopped and turned around. i smiled and nodded. another guy thanked him for his service. one shook his hand. it is september 11th, no less. and then it hit me. here i am thinking this is a really shitty day. a seriously shitty day...but really, it's all about perspective. life is all about perspective and how we react in these situations.
i needed to get my head outta my ass and realize that a blown tire is not the worst thing in the world. it's fixable. it's really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. so many people remember this day and it marks the end of many, many lives. it also marks the day that many, many service men and woman had to go abroad and fight for our country. people like the officer in the car dealership standing right next to me. i stopped feeling sorry for myself right then and decided to put on my big girl panties and go home. anthony told me a new tire would cost me around $200. (bend over and insert bolt.) meanwhile, i'll be driving around with my spare...going no more than 50mph on the beltway on the way to work the next two days. (can't WAIT!) however, turns out the bolt was not the cherry on the shitty day sundae. when i got home, butch informed me that the clog was "back" and the water was filling up again. (joy.) moreover, he is in the final month of getting his masters (hence, writing papers) and the letters "c, d, and e" stopped working on his laptop. (randomly, just stopped working.) finally, we had a crayon melt in the dryer two nights ago and i used nail polish remover to get it out. nail polish remover is highly flammable. (i didn't know.) although i washed out the dryer with soap and water...i'm hoping that it doesn't explode into flames upon use. with the way things have been going around here...i wouldn't be shocked.
bottom line is this. no matter how shitty your day may be...someone's is always shittier. although i am mourning the loss of gym endorphins and $200 dollars, someone is mourning the loss of a loved one on this memorable day. although i was "that girl" on the side of the road with a semi-flat tire, someone probably wrecked their car on the way from work. although i was whining about having puke on my dress, that same girl's mother is taking care of her all night at home. you never know what someone is going through...so that's why it's always better to take the high road and be kind to them. be kind to one another. when i told michael i was having a crappy day...he said, "ohhhh, i know allllll about those days." when i told anthony i was up shit creek without a paddle he told me, "not to worry." those people did not have to sympathize with me, or be nice to me...but they were. i don't know their full story, they don't know mine...but they knew by my facial expression (and words) that i just couldn't take any more shit at that moment. (i thank them for that.) although i know this day could've been a lot worse...i am truly glad it's over. tomorrow is a new day. as i drive on my donut down the beltway going no more than 50mph on my way to work tomorrow, i know damn well that people are going to flip me off and swerve around me. i, however, will take the high road. i will smile and wave as the wind whips through my hair. i may just throw them a thumbs up. because, after all...i could be "that guy" on the side of the road, but i won't be. hopefully.
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