I remember a wise gentleman telling me nearly 30 years ago to “plan for emergencies”. When I first heard that, I thought the very nature of emergencies meant that they are unplanned, but that was not the nature of his counsel. Planning for emergencies means that I do not wait until the last minute to get things done. It means that I do things when I think of them rather than always waiting. It requires me to focus on the things I have control of so when things I do not have control go sideways, I can focus my energies on them. Something happened to me nearly thirty years ago (right after I received that counsel) that I want to share with you.
I was in college and driving to my evening job in a car that had recently been given to me. That car was a 1979 Ford Pinto. What a beast! Nevertheless, my philosophy is the same now as it was then, and I figured the worst of riding beats the best of walking and I assumed ownership of the car. I was running a bit behind and was certainly exceeding the speed limit for that twisted, winding country road when suddenly, I heard a loud thump and realized I had a flat tire.
Those were the days prior to everyone having a cell phone and rather than being able to call work and explain my situation, I just decided to change the tire quickly. I soon realized that the jack in car was not the original one that came with the car and it was too tall to fit under it. I then realized that if I could dig the ground where the jack needed to sit, I could squeeze it into place. I had no shovel or other digging tools, so I used a screwdriver to dig the impacted gravel and asphalt on the shoulder of that road.
Finally, I got the jack under the car and after loosening the lug nuts, raised the car to remove the flat tire. I put the spare tire on and realized it was flat. No problem, I was prepared for my emergency and retrieved an old foot pump from the back seat and spent the next 5-10 minutes trying to get enough air in the tire to proceed down the road. When all was said and done, I had the tire changed and filled with air and realized I should probably go home and get my wife’s car because the tire I just pumped up would likely be flat before getting back home that evening.
I was several miles down the road when I starting wondering if I had even tightened the lug nuts up. It was then I did not remember putting the lug wrench back in the car after changing the tire. So, I turned around and slowly proceeded back to the spot where I changed the tire. I searched and searched for the lug wrench only to discover it was in the back of the car all along. After checking the lug nuts, I discovered they were all tight and my spare was going flat again.
After pumping the tire back up, I went home, changed cars, and got to work about forty-five minutes late. The moral of this story is to prepare for emergencies before they happen. Do the things you can when you have the time and not when you feel like it. Take time and think things through; it may work to your advantage even if you never have to drive a ’79 Ford Pinto.
Today, live!
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