the kindness of strangers

i'm typing this from a les schwab center in ne portland while listening to the tv on in the background and their coffee vendor tech giving detailed instuctions on how to care for the machine. (hey, they can offer coffee again!)

but i digress.

today is yet another invitation to give thanks in all circumstances.

alarm set for 4:30 am, i check the portland weather forecast.  never mind that it was 72 degrees a few days ago, we're on a winter weather advisory.

temps look warm enough, however, and no snow has accumulated.  so i decide to head north to the airport as agreed on to pick up friends arriving on an early morning flight, reasoning i can always stop along the way if conditions change.

starting the car, i pray for safety.

a few snow flurries, but roads mostly just wet.  i make it to the airport just fine.  while my pals are waiting to disembark, i decide to circle and pull in to the airport waiting area.

my low tire pressure warning light comes on, which is fairly typical for cold weather fluctuations, especially a difference of 40 degrees in a short time period.

then "thump, thump, thump" which is not a good sound.  i pull into a gas station and park right next to the air pump.  seems wise.  but the tire is totally flat and big fluffy flakes are falling.  now it is 6:30 am.

i am safe. i eat a banana and think about my next step.

roadside assistance called, 90 minutes out, i shuffle-walk to the 24-hour coffee nearby where the barista lets me hang out as long as needed and doesn't even charge me for my coffee.

an hour and a half later, the roadside assist gentleman puts my spare on in the snow despite his freezing cold hands; gets me on my way.

i drive on the spare in the snow 30 in a 35 mph  (yes, to the annoyance of people behind me who speed around, passing on both sides sending blinding swishes of slush onto my windshield) 3 miles to the tire shop where the lovely woman, who put in a work order for me, greets me by name. i think that there are angels who greet us at the pearly gates who are close kin of her, fitting that her name is angeline.

supply chain issues being what they are, they don't have a tire.  the gentleman is overly apologetic, sadly anticipating impatience of the general public.  i thank him for his time and assure him i was in full-time customer service during the pandemic and have all the time in the world.

once again i am safe and cozy, warm and dry. it's 10:37 am.

i check in and my friends are having breakfast in the airport.

a tire is located at a nearby store, giving me time to write this post.

i'm learning to give thanks in all circumstances.  sometimes all the twists and turns are what answers the prayers, albeit in a roundabout way.

the snow has stopped falling, temperatures are rising, and who knows what the flat (a razor blade all the way through the tire, damaging even the sidewall) has spared me from?  perhaps something far worse.

be kind.

stay patient.

give thanks in all circumstances.

we can't thank the folks who tirelessly serve us enough.

thank you barista.

thank you roadside assistant.

thank you tire technician.

yes, today i give thanks for the kindness of strangers.