Rumor has it, when I was a child I often said “I do it myself!”. I was, and still am, pretty “independent” – just like the misfit dentist called himself on “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” movie.
I also grew up hearing “You only fail, if you fail to try”. Well, the reality is that sometimes you fail even if you try.
Today I failed.
I failed to change my own flat tire.
I sure tried though! I went out to head to the grocery store this morning while Granny was here watching Emily. I told her if she’d stay here and let me go alone, I’d get her Christmas groceries for her while I was there. Deal!
Then I pulled out of the driveway and heard it. Thump. Thump. Thump.
That didn’t sound right. I got out and checked and sure enough, my front-right tire was flat. Seriously FLAT, not just low. So I backed the van back into the driveway and weighed my options.
I could ask our helpful next door neighbor to do it. Nope, his truck isn’t there.
I could call USAA. Hmmm, we DO pay for the service after all.
Or I could do it myself. I never have changed a tire ALL by myself. Might be empowering.
Or it might just be amusing.
I went inside to change shirts as I prepared to get messy and win this battle. Hear me roar!
Or maybe it was a meow.
I had to check the manual to figure out how to get to the jack and to get the spare out from under the vehicle. Ok, not so bad. I managed to lower the spare under the car.
The next step was to loosen the lug nuts on the tire before jacking up the vehicle.
Loosen them with WHAT? There wasn’t a tool for that with the jack. I cheated and sent a txt message to my husband, and when he realized what I was attempting he promptly called me to remind me that I could just call USAA and they would do this for me.
But I wanted to be in-de-pen-dent. At least, after he told me where to find the tool I needed.
I hung up with him and got back to work. Now, to loosen those lug nuts.
Grunt! Groan! Push! Pull! Kick! Stomp!
Did they put these things on with SUPER GLUE?
I tried and tried and managed to get ONE of them loose. ONE! That wasn’t going to do it.
If it had just been my arms, I would have keep trying. I really would have. But I started to feel it in my back, and I was not about to risk throwing out my back 3 days before I get to see my husband for the first time in a month. Capiche?
So I marched inside waving my white flag and took Granny’s car to the store. I called USAA when I got back and a nice gentleman came to change my tire. He looked normal, but he must have really been a body builder or on steroids because he got those lug nuts off like he was opening a pop-top!
So much for independent!
Maybe getting help isn’t so bad. At least we are getting our money’s worth from the Roadside Assistance.