I’ve been spending a lot of time out in nature recently, hauling a jeep wrangler through some rough trails in the middle of nowhere.
I often get nervous of what might happen if something were to go wrong out there alone in an area without cell service. But I can’t let fear stop me. It’s all part of the adventure.
So after running the jeep through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument yesterday, I was driving back down a long stretch of highway between Arizona and Utah when I passed a car off the side of the road.
Something didn’t feel right, so I circled back around. Turns out a woman had been stranded there with a flat tire, no cell service, and no idea how long she’d been there.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I had not changed a tire in over ten years and I was incredibly nervous about whether I could help her properly.
Thankfully, with a little friendly coaching from my newfound friend (apparently you remove the lug nuts BEFORE you jack up the car) and with a lot of patience (took me a lot longer than it should), I got her back on the road.
There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and many of us feel helpless about how we can make a difference. I feel it too.
But to take a moment to help make someone’s life better - even if you lack confidence and fumble your way through it - can make all the difference to someone who is struggling.
It’s moments like these that remind me how it important it is to leave the world better than how we found it. And it’s times like these when we can all do our part to lend a helping hand and be there for someone in need.
I’m grateful to have been in the right place at the right time and got someone back on the road in time to experience the birth of her granddaughter. That made me happy.
And I’m grateful for my pop for taking the time to teach me how to change a tire all those years ago. I hope I did you proud.