If “they’ can make an indestructible iPhone case and send a man to the moon, then why can’t we have tires that don’t give up after a few bumps and bruises. Because when the rubber meets the road in Principal Donadoni’s jalopy, apparently the road wins. Every time. And it’s not even close. How can the wheels on the bus go round and round if the darn things are too blistered and beaten and softer than the grapes I left in the fruit bowl for 3 weeks?

They told me it was time for an oil change and a tire rotation. Should be an “express” job. However, little did “those” people know that I drive my Civic as if I am leading Patton’s army of tanks across North Africa. In other words, we rumble and roll over anything and everything in our path and hope to God that woman and children have been able to flee to the mountains before I head down the street. Seriously though, when I took the left turn onto the street to deliver the highly driven (no pun intended) teen to the gym the other morning- I didn’t expect there to be manhole covers exposed on the road and glaring at me.

While I could continue to extol the virtues of Tanks vs. Honda Civics on the mean streets of Danvers, I also should point out that I did not run a red light in the making of this story. In fact I went slow, and I took my time, and I saw the menacing manhole cover…No. No… I am lying. I did not see the villain in this melodrama. I only felt a slight sense of foreboding that comes when you think you have done run over sumthin’.

That clunk, thump, in my stomach was unfortunately not in my stomach. It was the tire. Responding negatively to to peer pressure from the Manhole Cover. Suffice it to say, I guess I should have prepared the service guy when I made my appointment for that simple express oil change and tire rotation.

While I notified the Real Boss of the skyrocketing costs of the no longer simple express oil change, I -as I am apt to do- saw the positive side of things. I really did. I was genuinely satisfied and joyous in my head knowing that we only needed to replace 3 out of the 4 tires. See? Not a big deal. Of course, she reminded me that last month we had replaced the remaining tire. Damn. I thought I was riding high. Oh well. Flat tires happen. We just have to keep rolling along the highways of life with optimism. And when you get those flat tires…we get them all the time and never when we want them…don’t ponder how it happened, just fix it and keep moving. Patch it, fill it, replace it, whatever you need to do. Do it. When you realize that your purpose is stronger than the bumps in the road- you can keep rolling along. You will be the Tire King of the Road. But, now I am tired. So I must retire. And I will sleep well knowing that Tires are replaceable. But my sense of optimism is not.

Thanks for Coming!