Learning how to deal with flat tires is one of life's great lessons

Have you ever had a flat tire? Do you know how to change one?

I remember one day when my childhood pal Mike Kidwiler and I were on our way to Charlestown and I was driving my old 56 Mercury, a gift from my dad after I got my driver’s license.

It was a bit unfortunate, however, that Dad didn’t give me some new tires or gas money.

My car was a jalopy and the tires on the vehicle were all bald, but hey, what’s a Dargan Boy going to do; complain?

I’m thinking now that Mercury was given to me for the sole benefit of learning.

And learn I did.

As I remember back to this day, Mike and I had more than a few flat tires on our trip.  Both of us learned very quickly how to change flats; how garages performed their magic at patching flats, and there were more lives in a bald tire than one pilgrim might suspect.

By the time our journey was done and over, Mike and I achieved that ‘genius’ level in changing tires.

You know in life; we sometimes have a few days and moments just like a flat tire; things don’t go exactly right and we have to develop a plan of action.

I’ve learned, too, maybe with that first flat tire, that life can be pretty difficult at times for many folks.

I also learned that when someone else has a flat tire along life’s highway, it’s a good idea to stop and offer some assistance while so many others seem to go on by and ignore someone in distress which brings me to this part of my story.

My friend Ken Leasure (the 57 Chevy guy) and I took a few days to travel up to Wellsboro, PA a few weeks back.  It was a long trip and it rained most of the time.

As we returned to his house in Hagerstown, I bid him adieu and headed toward my home in Antietam.  As I was coming down the canal road I got over as a car was coming in my direction; not long afterwards I heard a loud knock in my right front wheel and I knew right then another flat tire was headed my way.  I made it across the Antietam bridge and pulled off along the side of the Harpers Ferry Road.

Darn! or something similar to that, was muttered. Stopped my car and got out to examine the damage; my tire was completely flat.

As I prepared to change the tire, I discovered the little contraption to loosen the lug nuts with my 2017 vehicle did not fit the lugs. Darn again!!!

And then the tire jack required me to lie down to find the little slot to put my jack in to raise the vehicle; Darn!!! I must have said. A fellow like me with three artificial limbs (1 hip and two knees) needs an instruction map to get down and up.

While lying on the ground to look for the slot, I looked up and noticed a big truck backing up to my vehicle.  Devin Burns who lives in Frog Hollow appeared and asked if I could use some help; it was raining.

He took me to my house just up the road and we got a different lug wrench and he removed the flat tire and put the ‘donut’ spare on my vehicle.  Rob Adkins and Bob Parasiliti also showed up as well as my pal Josh Kretzer and his kid Noelle.

How many people are necessary to change one tire you ask? A few friends would be the right answer.

In life, if you live long enough, you’re going to have a flat tire whether it is on your vehicle, or some other unexpected problem in your life to deal with.

And when you do it’s not bad when someone comes along to help lessen your burden.

I’m thinking now that the whole purpose of my dad giving me that 56 Mercury was a lesson in life that I have never forgotten; I learned to help others.

Flat tires then are not all bad, for the lessons they provide, and have helped sustain me throughout life.

It is no use to get too excited about flat tires especially when someone pauses to help you out.

I thanked Devin and all for stopping to help an old Dargan Boy. Devin would not take any money and happily informed me that his wife Kaitlyn was expecting.

I know their kid will learn to help others too.

I tossed my flat tire in the trunk and smiled.

Pete Waters is a Sharpsburg resident who writes for The Herald-Mail.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Pete Waters column: Having a flat tire isn't all a bad thing