This past weekend our nephew turned 4 years old and we made the trek to Old Lyme, CT to celebrate. Earlier that morning we did a neighborhood Easter Egg hunt, which kicked off a string of FOUR egg hunts that day alone, so it was a little bit of a scramble to pile into the car and try and be somewhat on time. If you know me, punctuality is not something to play around with. I am on time 99.9% of the time and I like it that way.
I don’t know about you, but nothing beats a road trip with the sun blasting when the spring air is nice and crisp.
About an hour and a half into the trip, 15 or minutes or so away from our destination, we were passing through a construction zone…you can guess where this is headed. All of the sudden the tire pressure light started making some noise. When I looked down, the pressure was starting to sink rapidly – so we put on the hazards and pulled to the side as soon as possible. Good news is that it was a rear tire, the bad news is we were half a mile from the next off ramp which meant we had to ride the flat for a bit with two very curious passengers in the back seat. Eventually we found a safe little spot to unload and assess the damage.
My options from here were to be furious (I was going got be late, after all) or roll with the punches. This one was out of our control, so Ashley and I decided to turn it into an event with the girls and teach them how to change a car tire.
Most of you reading this article have changed a tire before, but my 4 and 6 ½ year old kids certainly have not and found this to be much more exciting that I ever thought. From analyzing the flat tire, rolling the spare over, mounting the new tire, and eventually being able to get back in the car safely – it was all a great mystery to them and they watched enthusiastically every step of the way. We eventually rolled into the party a half hour late with dirty pants, dirt covered hands, but with big smiles on our faces. The girls couldn’t stop telling anyone who would listen how exciting the ride to Connecticut was. A traveling inconvenience for me was the highlight of their day, even with multiple Easter Egg hunts AND birthday cake in the mix.
When I finally had a moment to reflect on the situation it helped me draw the comparison to financial planning. Life isn’t smooth or perfect, situations can change, but more often than not, they are what you make of them. I could have easily lost my cool, the kids would have been upset, and it would have made for a pretty lousy memory. Right now, markets are a little unsettled, the war in the middle east continues to unfold, but with a good plan and proper flexibility, we can help each other find the good in the situation. And if you cannot, our financial planning team is here and ready to help.
I was going to tell you a flat tire joke, but I’m worried there’s too much pressure.
Until next time…
