Flat Tire on Life’s Highway
“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.
Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’re lost.”
~ His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
I recently and literally experienced a flat tire on life’s highway. I had to buy four new tires today, and I’m feeling sticker shock. Of course, the tires came at the same time as taxes. It wasn’t a complete surprise as I was driving on the original tires of my dearly loved Honda. I had sincerely hoped, for budget reasons, that I could get two more months from the tires that had performed so well.
The episode began with a flat tire Monday night that coincided with the full moon. I was on my way to my monthly full moon program and stopped to pick up a friend. One of the four tires was flat as the proverbial pancake. I have reminded myself this week, with the help of friends, that it’s not January with two feet of Colorado snow. I didn’t lose control of the car, and I wasn’t stranded on the side of the road, endangering myself or others. Instead, I was able to leave my car in my friend’s parking lot and ride in her vintage truck. My choice (and yes, my lesson) has been how I’ve framed the experience.
Tires were my teachers this week, and the metaphor is not lost on me. Life has been compared to a path, road, or highway by many writers. We move through this journey that is filled with purpose, roadblocks, detours, and sometimes a surprise picnic by the side of the road in a lovely setting. We make our plans, maybe even have a map, but always the unexpected awaits. While the engine of a vehicle provides the motive power to move us forward, without the wheels we wouldn’t get anywhere. New tires might symbolize the ability to move ahead with more confidence.
The rear tire on the driver’s side was flat. I think that means something from my past stopped me in my tracks. Perhaps an old belief or pattern of behavior needs to be put behind me. I have an all-wheel drive vehicle, which means when one tire goes they all have to be replaced. I choose to feel that I can now get on the road, full speed ahead and “go with throttle up,” feeling confident and ready to face whatever I meet on Life’s Highway.
“Warp Five Sulu.”
Copyright 2017, Julie Loar. Julie Loar is the multiple award-winning author of six books and dozens of articles. She is an international teacher and scholar of myth and symbolism.
