Flat Tires and Understanding
I’ve always had an inquisitive mind and a talent for understanding. I’m planning on writing about that later, but for now I wanted to share one of my mother’s favorite stories about me. My “undermind” plays a vital role in the tale.
Back when I was about six or seven, I wanted to take a bike ride. So I went to fetch my bike only to find that it had a flat tire. I was pissed. Well, as pissed as a happy 6 or 7-year-old can be. See, I don’t like it when my plans are foiled, and this flat tire was a big fat foil.
I wasn’t a skilled mechanic but I had watched my dad work on various things in his well-stocked shop. So I examined the situation and came to realize that those wheels can come off. I just need to twist these do-hickies and maybe figure out a few other steps.
Of course, even if I could get the flat tire off of my bike, I would need a working tire to replace it. Ah hah! My brother had a perfectly good bike, with two perfectly good tires! Thus, my plan for world domination was envisioned.
There was still one obstacle, though. I realized I should probably ask my mom for permission to take my brother’s tire, and so a little while later I marched into our house to do just that.
I posed my request to my mother, and to my astonishment she gave my plan the “Okay.” I didn’t know at the time, but my mother said, “Okay,” only because she could not imagine that I could actually implement my devious scheme. But she thought my futile attempts would be a good learning experience.
So she was somewhat shocked and amazed when I replied to her assent with, “Great! ‘Cause I already did it.”
So we both gained from the incident. I got to ride my bike, which was a crucial first step towards world domination, and my mother got her favorite story about me.
Even in my youth I understood the truth to the saying, “It is easier to receive forgiveness than permission.”