The typical storybook hero is that person who rides the white horse or sporting that suit of armor ready to perform that death defying feat.  Rarely do those opportunities present themselves. 

More common is the mundane task that just needs that extra assistance to complete.  Every day we find those opportunities to make someone else’s life better.  Abby needed some help today. She discovered a flat tire on her vehicle with some super tight lug nuts.  I helped get Abby to her practicum at Augustana College a little faster than she would have on her own.

I’m not in the business of selling tire irons, but I think I made a sale.  Most cars come with a tire iron that fits the lug nuts for that vehicle only.  It’s got the angle six inches from the socket then curves abruptly and tapers to a flat end.  If there were no such thing as air wrenches and we all did manual labor that iron would suffice.
The iron that I have kept for years and was probably used on the farm since the 1960’s is the trusty X wrench.  If the silage wagon wheel goes down in the corn field, that bad boy is the right tool.  Abby and I actually had to work together to get two lug nuts loose on her crossover.  She said, “I have to get me one of those.”  It was her second flat tire in the last month so those words ring true.

No, it was not very fun to change a tire in 10 degree weather with a 1 degree wind chill.  Neither should I be glorified for my efforts.  Just would like to encourage you to follow the lead.

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