Tired

There are many things I have already done for the last time. I do not realize it at the time, it quietly becomes my experience. Sometimes, it escapes being remembered. What was the next time, unknowingly, became my last time.

This was different. I knew for a fact this was going to be the last time. Many had come before. The previous time was probably the last time. But this time was certainly the last time I would ever plug a tire myself.

My wife’s big SUV had a small nail and was slowly losing air pressure. I had everything I needed at the house. Including the experience of having done it dozens of times. I found some differences this time. I am a little older with a lot more knee creakiness. It was summer in Texas. Most painful were those friggin’ thick tires with so much reinforcement.

To plug a tire, you must fully commit. The nail gets pulled out and the tire fully deflates. Next, the small nail hole gets torn, reamed, into a larger hole. It has to become large enough for the tire plug. The nail came out easily. But I struggled over and over to get the hole big enough for the plug.

It was hot. I was tired and dehydrated. The pain from kneeling on the driveway passed through my knees and pulsed through my hip bones. I was committed. The nail was out. The tire was flat. Once I pushed the reamer in one time, there was no option to replace the nail. I began the job, now I had to finish.

I’ve done this many times before. Arrogantly, I did not consider any differences this time. Often, my plans assume everything will go the way I expect—happy path scenarios only. I only prepared for my desired outcome. A few minutes of considering any other possibility might have saved me hours of grief.

Before starting, can I consider other reasonable outcomes? Have I prepared for those? Will ten minutes of extra planning save me countless hours of unnecessary effort?

Be curious, be kind, be whole, do good things.