Cover it Up

A few months ago, I took my car in for service, you know the routine stuff; oil change, belts, and filter check. In the process of checking the car out the technician took me to the garage and showed me the treads on my tires. He said I needed to replace at least the two front tires.  Well, I thought about it. Tires were not at the top of my agenda.  I had other things to do which did not include spending money on tires; at least not now.

As the months went on, I noticed that little annoying light on the dashboard. You know the one, it looks like your car is lopsided. It came on once or twice; then it began to jump on more frequently, like it was laughing at me, “See I told you needed new tires.”  At first, I would stop and put air in the tires just so the light would quit talking to me, but the stops for air were becoming more persistent. When that did not work. I took the top part of a sticky note, tore off a corner and covered the light, (yes, I did this I’m embarrassed to say) and it worked for a short time; the light was not staring at me. I had won. I could take my time and get the tires when I decided too. Well, I was driving last week and another light pops on. God was showing me who was in control. My dashboard is now a rainbow of colors. I couldn’t take it anymore. I threw in the towel; the lights had won.

God knows how to get our attention.

I took the car to the shop this morning. Got the oil changed. I asked the service tech to check the new light; I made sure the tire light was out. The service van brings me home. I’m waiting on pins and needles, waiting for the call where they give me some ridiculous quote to fix the new light. When I couldn’t take the suspense any longer, I called the Service Center, “Ms. M. I was just about to give you a call, we couldn’t find anything wrong with your car. We drove it down the freeway, the light didn’t come on, but I noticed you do need to look into getting some tires.”

The moral to this story: you can’t cover-up things you don’t want to deal with; cover up doesn’t mean erase. The problem is still waiting to be handled; waiting usually makes it worse. When I think back on this situation, getting new tires was just the surface issue. The real problem is procrastination. I put things off until the last possible minute. If I find myself in a situation that is uncomfortable, no problem; just wait it’s bound to change. What’s that old saying you have to admit a problem before it can be changed. I admit I procrastinate.

We have been locked inside for months, and it doesn’t look like we’ll be coming out any day soon. I have lists of projects that I need to work on. I”m sure I’m not the only person with issues they’re covering up. I would love to hear from you.

Anybody else out there with tires they need to get rid of?