Downwind“Pass It Forward”
Have you ever seen a couple people on the side of the road looking a bit helpless. Frustrated. A bit peeved? That could have been me and my wife a few weeks ago while in Wyoming.
The day did not start helpless, frustrated, or peeved. We had enjoyed a delightful morning up in the mountains. The yellow, purple, red, and blue wildflowers were on the mountainside in full glory. We witnessed with appreciation three large male moose lounging and munching on grass in a meadow. We completed a fresh pine scented four-mile hike up and around Twin Lakes in the Big Horns. No kidding, the mosquitoes were even friendly and polite. My heart was bursting with joy.
And then we headed back towards civilization down the mountain…the dirt road to rock road to the traditional gravel road to the blacktop road. Upon reaching the blacktop, I detected a smell of something getting hot…my brakes from the descent? About then, the low tire pressure light angrily blinked, and the car began to sway and thump. Burning rubber smell “courtesy” of a flat tire.
Upon inspecting the tire with my wife, I said, “Yep, it’s flat.” She just looked at me. I refrained from saying, “Perhaps this is the issue” while pointing at the spike in the tire.
Plan A: Flat tire, no problem. I have changed many a flat through the years. On the farm, in high school and college, I couldn’t afford good tires, so I kept three spares in the back of the truck. Those gravel roads back around the farm loved to eat all those bald tires. With frequent flats, my brothers and I would attempt to set tire changing speed records. Not quite a Daytona pit stop but sub-four minute?
After lowering the spare tire from the underbody of our SUV and pulling out the car jack, tire iron, tire chocks, I went to loosen the lug nuts. Very puzzling. Realization struck: the tire iron socket size was too small and did not fit onto the lug nuts. What the help… who does that?
Plan B: Don’t panic. While there was not a lot of traffic, we were not in the most remote area of Wyoming. I dug through the glove box (does anyone keep gloves in the glove box) and found my COUNTRY Financial auto insurance card to call the highway helpline. I couldn’t help thinking, “How are they going to help us out here?” I dialed and had a signal!
Plan C pulled up as I was calling COUNTRY Financial: A truck with a trailer loaded with a couple dirt bikes. Dad and son, I concluded. When the dad asked if we needed help, I refrained from hugging him. Instead, I asked the strange question, “Would you have a 7/8-inch socket to fit my vehicle’s lug nuts?” His response: “Yes!”
Now, I was fully prepared to get serious with that tire. The dad would have none of it. He wanted to teach his son how to change a tire and this was the perfect opportunity! It took them sub-four minutes working in tandem. My brothers would have been proud.
With tremendous appreciation in my heart, I reached for my wallet. The dad simply shook his head and said, “It was our pleasure… Please pass it forward.”
I’ve thought about those simple and clear words since.
I believe agriculture and farmers “pass it forward” every day. Planting seeds today for food for all of us tomorrow. Caring for livestock today to serve us tomorrow. Protecting the environment for our next generation’s tomorrow. And by stopping to help their neighbor or stranger who needs a little assist during a moment of need.
Let’s all pass it forward.