Potholes

They slow you down. Sometimes they get you down. And in my case, five flat tires in a six-week period.

Why does this keep happening?

Is it as one friend said, “It’s a sign you need to slow down, be more observant, reflect?”

I’ve joked with my friends about the “tire angels” – where are they to protect me – or are they?

As another friend said, “because you slowed down or didn’t get to where you were going at the time you were supposed to, what other situation did you avoid that could be a lot worse than a flat tire?”

Flat tires – as one more friend chimed in: “At least that is the only thing that has gone flat in your life!”

All of these people are correct. Life presents itself with many potholes and flat tires along the way.

People going through divorce know this well. How many relationship potholes did you drive through to get to the point where you knew divorce was the right decision for you? How many flat tires did you have along the way?

Situations that could be patched and you could keep going; or tires that needed to be replaced, but still, you could keep driving forward. It may have slowed you down, taken some time away from something else, you may have spent some extra money to fix the problem, but it was what needed to be done at the time.

The employees at the Fred Lavery Company car dealership in Birmingham where I take my car for service always have smiles on their faces when I drive into the service department; they are kind, patient and understanding; even funny! They make it easy for me and they are looking out for me.

(On a recent morning I came in with one flat tire, but they checked the other three and found a bubble starting to form in another. So grateful!) This takes away a lot of stress I might otherwise feel.

That is the role I fill for my clients.When they walk through the door to my office, or call me or send an email, explaining that they hit another pothole on the road of life, or that they can’t seem to drive straight anymore or are feeling deflated and don’t know if they can make it to the next service station – it’s my job to steer them in the right direction for them.