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Day’s Verse:
“Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.”
Luke 14:33
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I got my first flat while commuting in Washington while home on the Burke-Gilman trail tonight. I felt particularly depressed when I realized my problem because night was falling and today was the first rainy day in a couple weeks. Good things about the flat, as they go:
- It happened on the way home, so I simply walked to the closest road crossing, called in reinforcements, and leisurely passed time waiting for my ride to arrive by changing the tire.
- To make the emergency call, I borrowed a cell phone from one of the dozen kind bicyclists who asked as they rode by if I was OK, if I had the tools I needed, or if I needed any help. I think most of them realize that it could just as easily be them next time.
- I amazed myself by getting the tire back on without any problems. That boosts my confidence in general, because in the past I have spent ages wrestling the darn thing back onto the rim, and sometimes I even needed Ian to help me.
- It happened on the front tire, which is so rare as to be almost mystical.
- When I got home and looked for the source of the flat, I had no trouble locating the problem:
I know, who would have expected me to find a penny embedded all the way into my tire?! I just included that little pointy bit of red plastic for reference.
Bad things about the flat, aside from ruining my perfectly good evening commute: