New tyres & the gratitude attitude

I had to head to Central on a month-end Friday afternoon before a holiday. I was fighting down a growing feeling of trepidation as I rushed back up the stairs to make a quick coffee in the hope that it would enable my eyes to remain on the road during the arduous chugging through traffic. I don't know how it is in other small islands, and considering the frequency of public holidays in our paradisiacal island I have no idea why it is so here, but in Trinidad that combination creates a certain level of mayhem and an abundance of traffic; especially heading East and South!

But having actually, not to mention uncharacteristically, left enough time, I hurried and hassled my son out of the door, (having subjecting him to the indignity of reassigning his outfit and combing through his lengthening afro).  Of course I had squeezed in another wee activity on route...buying some healing crystal jewellery for some of my dearest friends...but I digress.

So there I was, driving in traffic when I suddenly realised the fearful noise I was hearing was coming from my car.  Without having to think too hard I knew, without a doubt, that it was my tyre. It was a sorry state of affairs...I knew the tyres needed changing, my sister had reiterated it quite forcefully when borrowing my car and getting a flat several months ago. But until I could bring myself to assign the cash in that direction, I'd been making sure to pump the tyres weekly in a hope to buy myself time.  I did: about four months...but it was up!  So I limped my poor Wingroad through traffic, trying desperately to not envisage the damage I was doing to the rim, and made it to a gas station, naively expecting help.  Boy was I wrong on that one! I was harassed and hustled out of the forecourt and left to change the totally destroyed tyre, which looked like it had lost a particularly brutal encounter with a machete, alone.

Fortunately for me, the line I give the bike guys when they balk at my cycle incompetence, that I can totally handle myself with tyre issue on cars turned out to still be true.  I changed that tyre like a pro, with a little assistance from my son who I thought may as well learn a useful skill.  He of course told me that it was not in fact useful, as in the relatively near future robots would do that kind of arduous chore!  But he did sit in the rubble, with the fierce sun beating down on his bounteous curls and assisted, probably designing the car assisting robot in his head as he cranked up the jack.

I then used the only piece of assistance the gas station guys gave and went to the nearby tyre shop, utterly relieved that my spare wasn't flat as had happened to me the last time I was in this predicament!  I had various options and after umming and ahhing, bearing in mind my bank balance was not as plentiful as I would've liked I went for the superior brand name tyres, which were much cheaper than they would've been in my neighbourhood, a matching pair, and got the tyre technicians to switch front to back.

Despite the uncertainty of how I will be financing the next ten days, I left that tyre shop with a huge grin on my face.  My son found my happy dance, which erupted at regular intervals on the way down the long trafficky road and again mercifully sailing back up, somewhat annoying, but I was just ecstatic.  I finally had new tyres!

Not too many days pass without some inspirational allusion to gratitude being the key to happiness, wealth, abundance etc. popping up on my facebook.  Being the cheerful soul I am, I'm all for it...I mean it sure is better than moaning albeit if it sounds a tad disingenuous at times.  But on this occasion I truly felt it, felt this surge of gratitude. Why? 

1. I wasn't going at 80+km per hour on the highway when the tyre gave out!
2. I got tyres of 60% of the price I would've paid at my local tyre shop!
3. I truly am an independent woman who can change a tyre unaided!
4. I didn't freak out or cry when the mean gas station attendants didn't help me!
5. After months of driving on eggshells so to speak, my car is now totally roadworthy!

...and if all that isn't something to be grateful about...then what is??