The Niceville Police came to lend a hand…
I was cruising along quite happily on my way to tai chi tonight when pffffft! I had a flat in the middle of an intersection. Niceville, of course, lived up to its name and I had a woman pull over and two police before a friend’s husband showed up with his truck. Together, he and a Niceville policeman heaved the scooter into the back of his truck and he gave me a ride on to tai chi.
Afterwards I had a fantastic impromptu visit with my friend, fellow writer and tai chi instructor Rachel while her husband figured out what was wrong with my tire and fixed it— on his birthday! Neighbors jumped in to help unload it off the truck and by dusk I was back on the road, scooting towards home. I took a few minutes at a park on the way to reflect on how lucky I am to know so many great people.
The scooter gets a ride.
This is the second time I’ve had a flat and both times the result was the same. People stepping in, offering to help and going out of their way to try and get me back on the road. Looking over the bayou as the last rays of the sunset melted into the water, I had an epiphany. If you want to make friends, ride a scooter—and have a flat.
