The Eyes of 10,000 Volts

Two days before Thanksgiving, on my way to work, I got a flat tire.  Annoying!
But of course, the universe loves to add a little holiday spice to your life.

Luckily, work was just around the corner.
I drove on, dashed to my office, and called AAA.
The text said Andres would be here in an hour.

A miracle!
Andres arrived in under 30 minutes.

Friendly guy.  Beautiful smile.
Moved like a caffeinated race car pit-crew ninja.

He lifted my car, ripped off the floppy, nail-punctured tire, popped on the spare, and said,  “Yeah, lots of construction around here.  People get flat tires all the time.”

In therapist language, that means, “You’re not alone.  Everyone’s suffering.”

In less than 4 minutes, done.
He wished me a Happy Thanksgiving and asked me to fill out the review.
You get 5 stars… and a smiley face sticker.

Fast-forward 3.5 hours.

I’m at Honda ordering new tires.  

Eddie in parts was fast, efficient, and professional.

Then, he handed me over to the appointment scheduler.

Ashley.

A woman with the smile of a thousand suns.
A million-dollar, diamond-grade, luminous smile.  And her eyes….gorgeous…They sparkled.

She reminded me of a Japanese song I heard years ago.

“Kimi no hitomi wa ichiman volts.  Chijo ni orita saigo no tenshi.”
(Your eyes are 10,000 volts. You are the last angel to descend to earth.)

A surge of pure appreciation washed over me.
Her smile made me feel seen…like I mattered.
She was present, glowing, radiant.

I thought, “Honda is lucky to have her.”

And “Humanity is still O.K.”

Like Maya Angelou said: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

That smile?  Unforgettable.

That’s when I remembered the teaching: 

“Whatever arises, love that.”

It does not mean forcing yourself to love flat tires, bills, and inconveniences.

It means being open to what comes with them.  Sometimes, annoyance is a doorway.

The flat tire brought me helpful people.

The wait allowed human connection.

The annoyance opened a space for gratitude to walk in.

Loving “whatever arises” is not about loving the problem.  It’s about welcoming what arrives with it.

The helpers.

The unexpected light.

Humanity.

My tire was flat.

My morning was derailed.

But I experienced kindness, generosity, and a smile bright enough to erase the inconvenience.

Life always hands us stuff we didn’t order.
But if we meet it with openness, we find that buried inside every annoyance…is something worth loving.

Sometimes all it takes is a flat tire to remember that the world is still full of 10,000-volt eyes…. and unexpected angels.