“28 hours without sleep. I just got home. Beautiful day, fantastic evening with talented actors and casting directors. How does a day like this conclude?
As I mentioned I just got home. It is 5am. I should have been back by 1 at the latest. So I will tell you about it, since this is a blog and it was magical and mysterious. Cool and a bit weird.
I had just given an actress and a casting director rides home in Chicago. Got on the freeway, gone about 20 miles when the driver’s rear tire blew. It disintegrated, I fishtailed a few times.
I managed to navigate to the shoulder where I left a trail of tire dust, rubber on the road. This was around 11:30 pm. I had been looking forward to getting home by 1 because I had been up since 2am.
I usually write my blog between 3 and 5 and then do business stuff, eat and go about my day. Last night I began at 2. The evening with actors was fun and exhausting. Now, I sit on roadside calling AAA.
You may recall, New Year’s Eve on the way to a party I blew the right front passenger tire and had to cancel my plans. 2 new tires and a new wheel were the result that time. The universe is silly sometimes.
Coming up at 9 am I was to take my car in have the oil changed and rotate the tires. I left a message there stating perhaps Friday would be a better day. AAA said 45 minutes the tow would arrive.
45 minutes later I sat there still no tow truck. So I called AAA when a truck pulled up behind me. I informed dispatch the tow had arrived but it hadn’t. It was the DOT. He put down some flares and left.
Not before we had a pleasant chat though. I knew that AAA would arrive and tow me 90 miles home. So I relaxed and enjoyed sitting peacefully. A fellow driver stopped and asked if I needed help.
He said he had a blow out 2 weeks before, someone had helped him, so he wanted to be sure to stop for others. I said ‘nope, thanks, that is so cool and I am waiting for a tow’. Well, eventually it came.
At about 3:50 am a tow arrived. During this time I had wonderful conversation with a woman dispatcher from Tennessee. She liked my attitude while getting updates. I liked hers too.
Heck, what to do, right? This is what happened. It could have been a whole lot worse. I was safe, settled and waiting. Gave me time to relax and think and count my blessings.
The driver of the tow was an incredible guy. Dante. We had a great conversation, stopped at the Skyway, I bought coffee and tipped him 5 bucks. He was incredibly grateful.
We resumed until he got me outside my house, at which time he put on the spare, the donut tire, so I can drive to the tire store at 7am. I gave him my last remaining cash, another 5 and off he went.
I came in, fed the cat, sat down at the computer and decided to share this. I love it when I delight and surprise myself. I am learning more and more that whatever happens you can enjoy it. It is a choice.
The evening, the universe, god or random happenstance, found me on the side of road with a nasty flat. What to do about it? Complaining wouldn’t have solved it. It is what is it. I have learned.
I have learned if you can’t do anything about it expect the best. Unexpected good always comes to me, to us, often disguised as difficulty. I don’t know why the tire blew and I don’t care.
Things always work out for the best. I know tomorrow, I mean in less than 75 minutes I will purchase 2 new tires. One to replace the flat and one to replace the other one just in case. Then I’ll have 4 new.
I bought two back in January. So now every wheel will have a new tire. I think the funny thing is as I drove my casting director friend home, I mentioned to her an earlier time 2 years ago in Chicago.
I drove down to go to an acting class. A Sunday afternoon. I turned a corner at about 5 miles an hour, hit a speed bump which tore apart the bottom of my car. I was bleeding transmission fluid everywhere.
Found a gas station a few blocks away. Called AAA, pulled a each chair out of the back and sat and waited for the truck. About as many hours later it arrived. I sat and read a book in the parking lot.
What to do? Absolutely nothing. Had a fabulous conversation with that tow driver too. Things happen. It is much easier in the long run to let it go and stay calm and expect the best. It could have been worse. It wasn’t.
So tonight I spent some time doing something unexpected. I got towed home shortly after recounting my towed home story. How cool or odd is that? Okay, in 70 minutes the tire store opens and I gotta buy some tires. I’m going to close this now and nap.
The bottom line is life is for living not complaining. Celebrate everything!” Rex Sikes
You Got Another Day! How Do You Want To Spend It?
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Horizons photo used with permission of Phil Koch.
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