There and [not] Back Again: A Cyclist's Tale

Rough day today. It's the day before my birthday so I thought I'd treat myself to lunch at an awesome burrito place (Roburrito's) and browsing at Books-A-Million in York, PA. The day started out really well. I got on the road at about 10:15 this morning and made it up to my dining destination a few minutes before noon. Great lunch. Had fun browsing at an actual legit bookstore and drinking a caramel frappe. Then came the ride home. It started out well enough but once I hit one of the main roads running through York, I got a sudden flat tire. It was okay though. It happens. Getting upset doesn't reinflate the tire. So I asked Siri where a bike shop was and she points me to one about 3 miles away. I start walking and arrive there after about an hour or so of walking. The staff in the shop are very friendly and knowledgeable and they equip me with an inner-tube and some tire levers. I start dismantling my rear tire and trying to get the thing on there. It's not going so well. After about 15 minutes of trying to get the task finished, I'm hot and sweaty with grease on my hands and still not making good progress. I ask the guy for some help and he does it in a matter of about 30-45 seconds. Internally, I wave goodbye to the last little bit of confidence I have about my ability to handle anything mechanical. I pull out my credit card but the guy says "Don't worry about it. This one's on me." I reply "Are you serious??" "I sure am." "Thank you so, so much! I really, really appreciate it!" I hand him one of my cycling business cards and say "I'm definitely going to have to get better at changing tires but let me give you this. I'm riding across the US next year to raise funds for Lou Gehrig's Disease." So I'm back pedaling and thanking God for such an amazing thing to happen as a free inner-tube, set of tire levers and installation job. I'm shaking my head that it took so little to make me angry and upset and huffing and puffing. Then came the icing on the cake... POP Believe me when I say a couple of f-bombs were dropped upon discovering my SECOND flat. I had checked the tire and frame for debris. For good measure, I had checked them again. And then I thought "What the hell! Let me check it one more time." Nothing. A single pebble had fallen inside the shop when I was working on the tire and I'd thought that was likely what did it. But no. Apparently there was something I'd missed. I'd missed it three times apparently! I was about ready to fly off the handle and just start screaming and cursing like a madman. But instead I called a couple of my friends and described the situation to their voicemails. My mentor was the guy who answered my phone call and volunteered to drive the 40-ish minutes to York to pick me and my cycle up. All that to say, I know this is all part of the process and there will be grace for each step of the way. Maybe I'm getting all these flats because that's what I need to get this practice in *before* I find myself in Nowheresville, Kansas with an empty tire. This is all a part of the journey to do something significant. It's often incredibly sucky but Lou Gehrig's Disease victims are worth the struggle.