Coming Up for Air

My front passenger tire has a slow leak… or a bad valve… not sure. But every two days, I have to stop at a gas station to add air. I have a service appointment to get it fixed next week, but this has been going on for more than a month… during the busiest time of the whole year.

According to Integrity1 Automotive via a quick Google search, driving with low tire pressure presents several risks…

• “Your tires become less stable and lose their grip and traction. You will notice steering becomes sloppy and braking is much slower – which could be horrible during an emergency situation when you’re trying to avoid an accident.”

• “Low tire pressure forces your vehicle to work harder due to the increased resistance that your under-inflated tires face when moving.”

• “Low tire pressure reduces the life of your tires.”

• “The most dangerous issue caused by driving with low tire pressure is a tire blowout.”

It’s a new year and I’m always more motivated with the turning over of the calendar… and able to embrace that motivation given less plans, obligations, and scheduled activities during the winter months. (I want to say something here about how long it’s been since I’ve made a blog post, but I’m still working on Embracing Imperfection. Besides, I’m at least consistent in what I don’t do. Oy vey!).

Anyhoo… all of this got me thinking.

How often do we feel low and long for a boost just to get where we’re suppose to be?

How often do we come up for air?

What if we, as humans, had a warning light that would come on when we need attention to operate not just better, but at our best?

The risks of driving with low tire pressure seem apropos to tired, overscheduled, exhausted human living. I know I feel less stable, sloppy, and slower when I just power through. And if you power through too long, everything does seem harder. Daily stresses take a toll. And many of us teeter on a precipice of barely getting by… survival by default.

One of my dear friends chose “CONTINUE” as her word for 2024. She said she wants to, “just continue to do all the things that make [her] happy and healthy.” I love the simplicity of this. It is perfectly her.

That too got me thinking… what do I want to continue to do (that makes ME happy-er and healthy-er)? What should I lessen or stop doing? All exceptional thought-provoking questions to consider as I embark on this new year.

The wonder of all this reflection is that it has helped me choose my 2024 word:

PAUSE

I’ve been forced– out of obligation, concern for safety, and a blinking orange warning light on my dashboard– to stop and add air to my tire. It takes just a few minutes. But it fixes the problem, even if only temporarily.

In 2024, I’m going to give my life… MYSELF… that same attention. Regardless of the chaos ensuing or the never ending to-do list, I’m going to force a pause and come up for air… not when I’m gasping for breath, not when the warning light is already on… but before either occur.

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