Flat Tire

Yesterday I was out on "patrol" and decided to go up into Spanish Fork Canyon to check on a small fire that had begun the day before. After speaking with Nick, the Incident Commander (IC) I got back into the truck and headed west on Highway 6, one of the most dangerous highways in the state. Anyway, I'm cruising along at about 65-70 mph when my left front tire blows and the steering wheel jerks to the left. I had images of flipping over but the truck, a 2004 Ford Ranger, handled it remarkably well. The worst part was changing the tire in the dirt. I wanted to make sure I was safe so I got completely off the road way, which put the left side of the front end right into the dirt. In short, it took me 1 1/2 hours to change a simple flat.

I'm not sure how this episode ties in with the NATURE theme for this blog. Perhaps it's the natural high and the sense of accomplishment of first, maintaining control of the truck, and then changing a tire in what often seemed to be impossible conditions. It reminds me of the emphasis we teachers put on buoying up student self-esteem. I think real self-esteem comes from taking on a difficult, even risky task and doing our best. Completing the task is icing.