Have you ever had a blowout? Everything seemed to be going smoothly until … oh, wait a minute. What I’m talking about is a flat tire – not an interpersonal eruption. Both can be heart-wrenching, but the tire blowout is easier to fix. Usually.
We were in the Columbus, Ohio metroplex when one of the four tires on our trailer blew out. This trailer is Carol’s and my “home-away-from-home,” and we were returning to Arkansas after one of our grandsons was married in Ohio.
There’s no need to get upset about getting a flat tire because having an emotional blowout only causes confusion and hurts relationships. But I was tired and needed a rest, so my daughters advised me to drive to the next freeway exit and into the parking lot of a Shell gas station.
After making two phone calls, they discovered that an automobile tire dealership was only a block away, and they happened to have the trailer tire we needed. Wonderful! The owner managed to squeeze us into their crowded schedule, and we were back on the road in less than three hours. I didn’t get upset, I had a good rest, and we were almost on time as we reached the Cracker Barrel restaurant where we celebrated our younger daughter’s birthday.
It’s much easier to ask for assistance in the middle of a problem than to ask to be forgiven after an emotional blowout. So, if you find yourself in what could be an emotional crisis, try to relax and ask for help. And later, you will be able to remember the situation more clearly, be able to talk about it with a clear conscience with family, and be able to write about it.
And as you write …
Write Creatively.
P & L Publishing 