third time's a charm

Sometimes we throw out cliches not really believing their meaning. Sometimes we throw them out there not really understanding them but it fills an awkward silence. The number three is common whether it's "third time's a charm" or "things come in threes." I'm not sure how much evidence supports either statement but I'm sure some of the validity hinges on your belief in charms or maybe the stipulations of threes.

I really don't think I care much about it either way. But tonight I had my third flat tire in less than two months (second in four days) and I kept having those dumb three cliches running through my head. Most of you know, or at least saw the pictures of when I hit the washing machine back in june. In between the damage quotes and the repairs, the one tire that had been hit went flat. My sister's boyfriend changed it for me and it occurred to me that even though I knew the gist of how to change a tire I wasn't strong enough so what was I going to do if I had a flat in the middle of nowhere.

Thursday night I drove home to Maryland and when I woke up Friday morning my mom showed me I had a flat tire... somewhere I had found a big screw to run over. My mom and I got the spare off the back but my brother had to come set up the jack and get the flat one off for me. Again... I was thankful I made it home and wasn't stranded on 95 or 495 with a flat tire.

This morning I woke up at 3:15 in the morning to drive back to NC in time for work. I made it with no problems, worked until a little after four when I came back to my apt to unload the car, cook dinner and watch a movie. My iPod crashed over the weekend so I decided to try to take it to Best Buy and then pick up the essentials at Walmart. I get out of the apt complex and the guy in front of me pulls off to the side of the road. I started to go around him and he put his window down and I thought he was waving me around but as I kept going I realized he had been trying to get my attention because I was definitely driving on my third flat tire. I made it to Pizza Hut and tried called my sister's boyfriend, but this time he was in Raleigh leaving me to change the tire by myself. Thankfully I had made it back safely and wasn't stranded but I sure felt like it as I provided Pizza Hut's customers with their parking lot dinner entertainment. Somehow I changed the stupid tire. I was annoyed and frustrated at the situation, but there was some consolation in knowing I changed it by myself.

Meanwhile, my neighbor (who I had never talked to before in my life) drove back by while I was at Pizza Hut and apologized for scaring me earlier but said he had just noticed I was driving on the flat. I told him not to worry about it, but I noticed he made a quick exit without volunteering his assistance. Preciate it.

So I'm not sure who's planting the screws and nails or cutting my tires or what but I get the point. I thought I couldn't do it but now I know I can. Is that the charm? I'm hoping I learned my lesson before my fourth one goes flat next month.