This day moved forward at a snails' pace and I grew pricklier with each minute. Voices over the phone chirped too loudly through the ear-piece, butt-inskies were way too intrusive and the rubber on my tires was much too worn ("bald" tires would have been a blessing).
As it turns out, today was a day I would re-discover meaning to the title of the Beatle's infamous melody "Let It Be". It was an impossible task at 4:27pm, however. My children called me, chirping just as loudly as the rest of the intrusives, trying to reassure me "things will work out just fine, mom" (a generation X-er's version of "let It Be") while divulging the news that the car still had the same bone-bare tires underneath its elderly chassis. I think I must have hung up on someone three or four times before I finally turned off the lights to my office and walked outside determined to meet whoever picked me up in that thread-bare-rubber bald-tire-ridden- car.
As I marched outside to face the golden sunshine and breathe the clean, fresh air (I forgot about those gifts from a springtime afternoon until that moment), I could hear the distinct melodious chorus from the Wizard of Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West rode her broomstick outside Dorothy's window. Surely that was my foul mood playing tricks on me. I wasn't but 100 yards into that sunny afternoon when the tricks won out and I found myself at a slower pace, breathing in deeply the crisp spring air and staring at the clear blue sky. An odd thing happened then (it was about 5:12 now)...I smiled. "Miss Prickly" had fled somewhere between my office door and the big rock next to the pond where I had ceased marching and begun to stroll. Smiling!
Within minutes, my car arrived still supported by thread-bare tires. Settled inside the tinted windows were two of the most dear people I know...child #3 and child #5. They smiled somewhat timidly as I took my place behind the steering wheel and drove directly to the nearest Pep Boys. An hour's worth of jovial conversation with my son and daughter over a hamburger and ice cream later, I had four shiny black brand-spanking new tires! The smile reappeared as I climbed into my car with my wonderful children and drove home with a brand-spanking new attitude.
Life is great when there's new tires on the car!
Regis