An Everyday Aussie Adventure

There are wonders aplenty in this life, and mostly in the mundane. Sometimes these wonders creep up on us and surprise us. Sometimes these wonders prove to us that God is in and about and alive through all life.

Recently I was reminded that ordinary Aussie adventures do occur, when we least expect them.

How the Story Goes...

Cycling home from work is usually mundane exercise, but not this day. As I peddled, approaching a stop sign, I noticed the car ahead of me with a flat tyre. I tapped on the driver’s window, and, feeling a little creepy, reported the situation to the young lady driving. Noticing there were no men aboard, I offered to change the tyre for them.

Pretty standard story thus far...

It took a few minutes for the two young women—German backpackers, Jo and Catherine—to unload their luggage compartment so I could access the spare wheel. Then we found there was no wheel brace. This is when the story gets interesting.

An Australia Post courier drives past and I flag her down; she looks in the back of her van, but no wheel brace was found. She was very courteous; almost apologetic. A man drives past in a four-wheel-drive; he checks his wheel brace and doesn’t know where to look; we can’t help each other, but he is civil. The next car stopped is a small Hyundai with three women inside. The driver ruffles through her luggage compartment and finds a wheel brace, but it doesn’t fit the Honda wheel nuts. She blesses us and then leaves. Then, as Catherine and Jo and I talk, Simon arrives, distinctive in his dreadlocks. He is ready to help. However, he checks his car—a Toyota SUV—and it lacks one wheel brace! “Good to know this,” he says. Then I call my workplace and Jim, the storeman, agrees to bring some tools. He arrives in a matter of minutes and we have the tyre changed just as quick. But the spare tyre is the wrong one; it’s a steel rim, not an alloy wheel like the one that has just been changed. But we do get it to fit good enough to drive a short distance. Soon enough Jim follows Jo and Catherine in getting the tyre fixed.

Morals to this Story

These are the things I was reminded of in this everyday Aussie adventure:

1.      Don’t assume people don’t want to help. Every single person we stopped was courteous and understanding; each felt bad that they couldn’t help. God restored our faith in helpful humanity.

2.      These are divine appointments. I would not have even met Jo, Catherine or Simon at all if it hadn’t have been for this unfortunate event.

3.      The most practical reminder is the need for a wheel brace for when we have a need to change a flat tyre. It’s a good idea we are prepared.

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There is plenty of good news in the world if we will only look to see it, just as there are plenty of good people. God, help us notice the good and these good people as we traverse our days, AMEN.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.