As I cruised along a major thoroughfare in my city one night last week, my car nearly disappeared into a pothole the size of Wisconsin.
My right front tire went flat within seconds, so I pulled into a nearby gas station parking lot and parked near a NO PARKING sign. But hey, what’s a guy supposed to do?
My first call was to my car insurance company. They informed me that I don’t have roadside service. When I pulled up my policy on my phone, I realized I don’t have it because they don’t offer it for various reasons.
So I sent a text to several buddies. It had been a good twenty-five years since I’d changed a tire, and with a bad back, I knew I’d be there for hours without help. One minute after my plea, a buddy responded to the group text saying he was on the way.
I stepped inside the gas station to let the clerk know my predicament.
“You can’t move it?” she asked.
I gave her a measured response. “I have a flat tire. Help is on the way.”
My buddy arrived and changed the tire in just a few minutes. Then he tossed my flat into the back of his truck and said he’d have someone look at it. The next day, I learned the pothole had torn a hole in the sidewall, so it wasn’t fixable. My friend found a good used one, bought it for me, and put it on my car a couple of days later.
I never expected to spend part of my night stranded in a gas station parking lot, but I also never expected such a powerful reminder of what friendship looks like. My buddy didn’t just show up—he literally and figuratively went the extra mile. And he wasn’t the only one. My fiancée told me to head her way after the tire was changed so she could make dinner for me.
Later in the week, another buddy helped with a plumbing issue at my house. And if that wasn’t enough, he came back yesterday and fixed a problem on my roof.
There’s something humbling about being on the receiving end of kindness, especially when you have no choice but to accept it. My buddy didn’t hesitate to fix my tire, my other buddy stepped in to help with my house and my fiancée welcomed me with a meal.
Showing up for each other doesn’t have to be grand or complicated. Sometimes, it’s as simple as fixing a tire, a sink, or making dinner. But those small acts mean everything, at least to me.
