Today, it struck me again how much I love Texas: So many people in Texas are very kind. I’m not a native Texan but I love where I live now. There are so many reasons. The area where we live is pretty! Lakes, trees, ranches, longhorns, horses, and even camel! We have the small-town feel with the big-town opportunities not far from us.
Above all, though it is the people. My friends in our Rotary Club and Toastmasters Club. My amazing neighbors. Friends I met through the local Chamber of Commerce, various networking venues, and Dylan’s school. Friends of friends.
Then this incident happened.
A Flat Tire Made Me Feel Surprisingly Good!
A couple of days ago I had a flat tire. I had our dog Olive with me in the car. We were on our way to the vet for her annual exam. Not even two miles from our house, I glanced again at the car’s gauges. Sure enough, it looked like one of the tires had little to no air in it. 4 psi!
I pulled over and walked around the car. Yup, the rear tire on the passenger side was flat. Too flat to drive to the vet’s office without putting on the spare tire first. I called my husband who happened to be 40 minutes from my location. He called the vet’s office to tell them I’m late. They said, no problem, come tomorrow.
Of course, I had changed tires before but not on this car. I pulled out the tools and had just gotten started when a Mexican man, Jose, stopped his car to help me. He didn’t speak much English, and I don’t speak much Spanish – but we managed to communicate. While we were working on changing the tire, another man stopped by to see whether I needed help. He saw Jose and asked him whether he had the situation under control. He did. The second man left. Soon I was on the road again. I called the vet who said they would still work us into the schedule today if that helped me out.
Replacing the Tire – and The Miracles Kept Coming
Something had punctured the tire on the side – it was not fixable. My husband and I decided we could get a good used tire to replace it for now. We will get a new set of tires when they are due in a few months. I called my friend Ray who has a car shop and asked him for advice. He recommended a tire place that offers used tires. I called, drove over there and 20 minutes later my car was good to go. Yeah!
Right next door is an Autozone. The tire-changing tool that came with my car was lousy at best. I was grateful that Jose had a proper lug nut wrench. I decided to buy one in case this ever happens again. The store had two sizes. Which one fits my car? I picked up the smaller one and asked a lady who works at the front of the store. She says, “Do you want to try it on your car to see that it fits?’ I say “Yes, thank you!” and walked to my car. I felt grateful for her trust to let me take the tool out of the store without any hesitation, ID left behind, or the like.
As soon as I had the tool positioned on one of the lugs of my car, a man showed up and asked me whether I needed help. I was stunned. I hadn’t been there for more than a few seconds. I thanked him and explained I was just testing whether I had the right sized tool before I bought it.
I went back into the store and was treated with a lot of courtesy as I paid for the tool. As I was getting ready to leave, another man held the door open for me.
Thank You!
Well, I can tell you, all that made my day. I love living in a place where these kinds of things happen and people think this is how it should be. Thank y’all!
I’m Curious
Which stories came up in your mind as you read my story?
