I had a day that started off bad but turned out good if the entire balance of things is considered.
I left home at 10 am this morning with Jefferson's truck. Yesterday, he had a flat and replaced it with the spare tire. He tasked me with taking the truck to the tire place to get a repair, and then to get an oil change. So first I went to the tire place. They said it might not be repairable because of the uneven wear. If the hole happened to be near the outside where the tread was supper thin, then I'd need a new tire. They said they could get to it in about an hour. So to be efficient, I left the tire there and went five blocks down the road to the oil change place. Right as I arrived at the oil change place, the spare tire flattened and died. But I proceeded to get the oil change.
After words, I tried to drive the five blocks back to the tire place going at about 5mph. But the truck is heavier than a car and the tire quickly shredded and balled up making it very difficult to move. So I called for a tow. In the process of towing the truck the back tires kept seizing up and we discovered we needed a flat bed tow truck.
So in the process of disconnecting Jefferson's truck, the tow rig came up under the radiator and punched a hole in it. Ugh!
The poor tow truck driver had to call his boss and tell him what happened. His boss was really mad. They informed me that they were responsible and would pay to replace the radiator.
And of course I felt bad. The driver would have to pay for the parts out of his paycheck. Yeah, he did a boneheaded thing that resulted in the destruction of the radiator, but still I felt bad because coming up short on money can be really bad for people struggling to pay rent, etc. But he assured me it would be okay.
So we drove the four blocks to the tire store, got the tire, and as we were pulling into the parking lot where we left the truck we saw that the the flat bed tow had already arrived. We replaced the tire and then put the truck on the flat bed. Then off to the garage for the radiator repair.
So why am I not discouraged? Well, I accomplished both my goals. The oil is changed and the tire is fixed. We did not have to spend $500 for a new pair of front tires. AND now the truck has a brand new radiator, although I feel bad that the mistake was costly for someone else.
To top it all off, the other tow trick drivers were impressed that I did not flip out and scream with anger. My attitude is that everyone makes mistakes. I think this attitude was appreciated and I received many smiles in return.
So on balance, it was a good day.