So today I am in between night shifts at the hospital and could only sleep through half the day, woke up and found it to be the most beautiful day outside in Detroit. I just had to be a part of it, as Maria from Sound of Music would say. Unfortunately for me I had a flat tire on my bike, so like the industrious person I am I decided to fix it myself. I have the kit, went to a presentation once on how to do it and have successfully done it before. So I went about my marry way fixing my flat, and I found the hole and everything. Once that was done off I went, down through Corktown toward the Joe, past Cobo and onto the Riverwalk with Detroiters of all shapes and sizes and colors. It was not until I arrived about 4 miles from my house at the north end of the Riverwalk, on my way to Belle Isle that I realized my tire was loosing air, slowly, but losing air.
Luckily I was near a gas station with an air pump, but wait it was 50cents in quarters and I only had one quarter, but the nice young man pumping gas was willing to trade--actually he just gave me a quarter and said don't worry about it. Thanks young sir! So I put in my 50 cents and then realized--road bike attachments don't work with car air pump attachments. So I was really in a bind.
I was sitting there thinking of a conversation I had with one of my attending physicians about a patient who had no coping mechanisms to get herself out of a bind. She had asked the patient if she knew how to get a bus schedule, and the patient didn't and couldn't come up with a hypothetical solution for if she were to be stranded somewhere. So here I was, my chance to prove myself and my coping mechanisms and of course it is on a day when Carl is out of town and I have to work in four hours. So. I laid out my options.
I could call a cab, but as I was looking at yelp reviews that were not so flattering I thought to myself, I have friends, I know people...surely I can find someone to come pick me up. As I was sitting there figuring out my situation another nice Detroiter lady asked if I needed change for the air machine, "I'm set, thanks" I said.
Phone a friend. I called my good friend Ang who has been sick in bed all week but was willing to come out for a poor stranded soul. The first person I called and they agreed to come pick me up! And while I was waiting another man on his bike (with the appropriate tire attachments) came to fill up with air. He offered me the rest of the time on the air but I told him my attachment dilema. Thanks anyway, though.
So all in all I made it home. Thanks to Ang. But I think I have learned a lesson in pride, don't be to proud of your work that you go testing it to the limit before doing a trial run. And also, don't be to proud not to ask for help when you need it because more often than not if you give good people the opportunity they will take care of you and do the right thing. Thanks to all the nice folks here in the City of Detroit. That is why I love this City.
Luckily I was near a gas station with an air pump, but wait it was 50cents in quarters and I only had one quarter, but the nice young man pumping gas was willing to trade--actually he just gave me a quarter and said don't worry about it. Thanks young sir! So I put in my 50 cents and then realized--road bike attachments don't work with car air pump attachments. So I was really in a bind.
I was sitting there thinking of a conversation I had with one of my attending physicians about a patient who had no coping mechanisms to get herself out of a bind. She had asked the patient if she knew how to get a bus schedule, and the patient didn't and couldn't come up with a hypothetical solution for if she were to be stranded somewhere. So here I was, my chance to prove myself and my coping mechanisms and of course it is on a day when Carl is out of town and I have to work in four hours. So. I laid out my options.
I could call a cab, but as I was looking at yelp reviews that were not so flattering I thought to myself, I have friends, I know people...surely I can find someone to come pick me up. As I was sitting there figuring out my situation another nice Detroiter lady asked if I needed change for the air machine, "I'm set, thanks" I said.
Phone a friend. I called my good friend Ang who has been sick in bed all week but was willing to come out for a poor stranded soul. The first person I called and they agreed to come pick me up! And while I was waiting another man on his bike (with the appropriate tire attachments) came to fill up with air. He offered me the rest of the time on the air but I told him my attachment dilema. Thanks anyway, though.
So all in all I made it home. Thanks to Ang. But I think I have learned a lesson in pride, don't be to proud of your work that you go testing it to the limit before doing a trial run. And also, don't be to proud not to ask for help when you need it because more often than not if you give good people the opportunity they will take care of you and do the right thing. Thanks to all the nice folks here in the City of Detroit. That is why I love this City.