The Flat Tire Story
In galaxies far, far away there began to circulate a persistent rumor of happenings on a smallish planet, the third from its Sun. It seems that on this planet there was a newish race of beings still getting used to the blessings and curses of becoming self-aware and mostly making a muck of things and couldn’t seem to figure out how to simply be happy.
Now, so the rumor went, there was a very smart man named Vern Black who lived on this planet in an Emerald City called San Francisco. This man was so smart that he had hung out with, and learned a whole lot from, another very smart man named Werner Earhardt. Now this Werner guy had read a thing or two and thought about it a lot and then, while crossing a long golden bridge, had a visitation of great wisdom. Out of this great visitation of wisdom, this Werner person constructed a large and complicated teaching of exercises on how the unhappy people on this planet could untie the knots in their self-awareness so they could release themselves from their unhappiness and find liberation in peace, joy, and creativity.
Now, to get back to this Vern Black person, having had a few visitations of wisdom himself,
he wanted to help out AND he wanted to do it his way. So he talked to a few angels and other such beings and devised a series of questions designed to assist individual unhappy persons to untie those knots of unhappiness in their minds and step out into the fullness of their potential lives.
Having done that, he wrote a book about it and in the very beginning of the book made up a little story, sort of like this little story, and he called it The Flat Tire Story.
The Flat Tire Story, like all good stories, is full of action and drama, lots of Sturm und Drang, and then little pockets of peace where the person falls back in the grass and looks up at the sky and takes several deep breaths before getting up and going on. It’s a story of initiations and movement inward and outward toward the place of Knowing relationship with the One Being Who made up all of this in the first place.
Now, imagine this. There are 16 of you, of us, who have gathered together in a room in the center of which is a large, oval-shaped table and around which are exactly 16 chairs. We sit down and open envelopes that are on the table in front of each chair. These envelopes contain instructions on how to conduct this meeting. We are, each of us and in a certain order, to go around the table and tell our personal story about an event that just recently happened to each of us.
That event was that each of us recently were driving down a road somewhere and suddenly experienced a flat tire on our vehicle. Now, something that you will notice very soon is that each person has a unique and sometimes strange-sounding name. Remember that names are magical in that they often reveal deep and hidden truths.
And so we begin:
The first person speaks up and says his name is Disloyalty #6, and his nickname is Pretence. What he says is that he was driving down the road in his car, minding his own business, when suddenly Bang! His car swerved across the road and almost hit several people and stationary objects before he could stop. So he stopped and thought to himself, “Oh, one more thing to show me that I’m useless, this car is obviously useless and has betrayed my trust, I wish I were dead, I’m such a failure. Everything happens to me and I’m pissed about it. I can’t do anything right. I don’t know why anyone hangs out with me and I wish I could just roll up into a ball and go hide somewhere until I die!”
Wow! All the rest of us try to remember this is just one person’s experience. We take a deep collective breath, and gesture for the next person to speak.
She says her name is Disloyalty #5 and she doesn’t have the energy to have a story about her flat tire event. She says she was overwhelmed by the whole thing and just lay down on the car seat and waited for something to happen. Eventually someone came along, pried her out of the car and took care of things. She doesn’t remember what happened or even the name of the person who helped her out.
As we lift out heads up from the table, where some of us have dozed off, we dredge up enough hope to be able to listen to the next story.
The next guy says his name is Disloyalty #4 and he is just in a state of grief that this thing happened to him and to his car. He knows he’s not good enough to have a good car, and he shouldn’t ever have even tried to have something nice ‘cause something always happens to him to spoil it all, and it’s all just hopeless.
We begin to wonder just how many of us are we going to have to dump in the loony bin after this? But we go on and let the next person speak.
She says her name is Disloyalty #3 and she is numb with sympathy that these terrible events have happened to these other nice people and it happened to her, too. She says she wants to reach out and help them and hopes someone will reach out and help her, too. She is, she says, yearning to help these others somehow get out of the trap of their extreme unhappiness and she hopes they can help her, too. She’s lonely and tired of being alone.
How much more of this can we take? We don’t know, but we’re here for a purpose and we go on to the next person.
The next guy is sitting in his chair quivering and sweating. He says his name is Disloyalty #2 and that he’s remembering the shock of the flat tire and feeling the fear, despair, and terror all over again. He looks around the room as if something is going to come at him and he wants to see it in time to duck. He talks about how his life is a constant series of threats, and he’s always looking for ways to protect himself, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can tolerate all the fear, dread, and worry.
We don’t know how long WE can tolerate it either, but somehow find the superhuman strength to hear another story.
This woman’s name is Disloyalty #1 and says all you losers are just pathetic. Her flat tire event was the worst. She was seriously inconvenienced, she was humiliated when help arrived, she had a little tantrum as she thought about the people who hate her and probably did something to make this happen. Her car wasn’t in the garage the night before and anyone could have come in the night and done something nasty to hurt her.
Well, this is a change, and why do we all feel a little better now? We also noticed that all the persons who have spoken have very similar names and the first guy had the nickname Pretence. What, we wonder, is that all about?
We question these six and discover that each of them has the nickname Pretence because their so-called friends (better known to them as their persecutors) have told each of them at one time or another, and many times over the course of time, that their attitude and point of view of life is that they are Pretending that life is the shits, and that there ARE other choices.
After the hubbub dies down a bit, we choose to go on. Things are starting to get a little bit interesting.
The next guy says his name is Adversary #2 and he hates his name and he hates us. Just the sight of us puts him into a rage. He is MUCH better than the rest of us, believes he was invited here in order to straighten us out, and that we’ll all be better off when he’s acknowledged to be in charge. When his tire went flat, he got out and cursed and kicked his car, and then went out into the road and forced the next car to stop or hit him, telling that driver he had to help and exactly how to go about it. When that driver objected, A #2 got very close and threatened to harm him. Under threat, the 2nd driver changed the tire and got the hell out of Dodge as soon as he could.
Well! We’re all in a swivet now and wondering if we’re going to get out of this room alive!
The next woman says her name is Adversary #1, she is in shock and pain just listening to the lot of us, does anyone have a Percodan, ‘cause she’s just outraged at this attack on her. Her experience of her flat tire is that it was as if she just suddenly slammed against an invisible wall that had been put up to stop her, there were lots of reasons why her tire was defective – but she had to keep it to herself for lots of reasons only she herself knew, and WHERE is that Percodan?
Gosh! Things are heating up and getting even MORE interesting. We’re on the edges of our seats now waiting for the next chapter.
The next chapter is a kind of weak-looking guy who sort of blends in with the wall. He says his name is Uncertainty and when his car tire blew he was so confused and frustrated because he just didn’t know what to do. Being stopped meant he missed a new job interview and it was all so annoying. He was just exasperated with the whole thing! He had worked so hard to set up the interview, and now this! He remembers that someone came up to him as he stood on the road and suggested something, he doesn’t remember what now. He was just going in circles! Should he go this way, should he do that? He just couldn’t decide!
The energy around the table has definitely taken a new direction and we need a break. We get up and walk around, have some coffee or tea and then, with renewed intention, sit down again.
The next woman to speak said her name was Detriment/Responsible. She says it’s just as well that her tire blew. She had been going to a party, but the way things are going for her right now she knows she would have just made another mess, another glass of red wine spilled on the hostess’s white carpet, tripping and falling into the chip dip, you name it she’s done it and is getting tired of it. She’s so disappointed in herself. She really wants to make more friends, and for some crazy reason people keep inviting her to their events, but it always ends up with her drowning in guilt and embarrassment and then having to clean it up with her friends. She feels there is something wrong with her and it’s all just so boring! Why can’t she just say NO! when people invite her?
Well, we’re pretty confused now! What is going on with this woman? We don’t know and don’t know how to be of any assistance to her, so we go on to the next story.
The man seated in the next chair says his name is Non-Existence. He says he doesn’t know why anyone here is making a fuss about anything. It was the same when he was out driving, enjoying the beautiful day and just humming along. When his tire went out, it was a little bump that got his attention for a moment, but he used his cell phone to call AAA, and they came out pretty quickly and changed his tire. While he was waiting he just looked around, still enjoying Nature and the beautiful day. The tire fixed, he went on his way.
At this, we’re all looking around at each other, scratching our heads. We have gone from life-threatening despair to life-threatening rage, to a complete neutrality of affect. What a ride!
The next woman speaks up and says her name is Danger. She’s not sure why her name is Danger, because she doesn’t think she’s dangerous or in danger. She says when the tire on her car went out, that she cautiously got out of her car to look at the tire, wondered and was a little curious about why it had happened, and a little concerned that everything would be all right. She, too, called AAA and watched closely while the repair person fixed her tire. It was all so interesting!
Then a man speaks up saying his name is Emergency. He looks alert and ready for anything. He reports that when his tire went blap he thought it was pretty funny. He got out and looked at the tire to see what it looked like and just laughed out loud. He had changed lots of tires and thought it was great that he was having this little adventure on the road. He had all the tools he needed and knew how to use them. It was just enough of a challenge that he felt great satisfaction when he was done. He smiles around the room at us, inviting us all to share in the fun of his little adventure.
A woman says that her name is Normal. She sits back, at her ease, to tell her story. Driving along, admiring all that was around her, she was a little surprised when suddenly her tire blew, but she calmly got off the road and went out to fix the tire. While doing so, her attention went to the manufacture of the tire, how well it was made and how well these tires served her and everyone who drove in a car. She smiled at how safe she felt with so much skill and high intention that went into every aspect of manufacturing cars. As she drove off, she thought about how comfortable and convenient cars are and how much their use enhances several aspects of so many people’s lives.
A man’s voice rings out, vibrant and compelling. He says his name is Abundance. He is finding all our stories utterly enchanting and is so glad to be here with us. When his car’s tire went out, he says, he almost didn’t notice it as he was in such a state of bliss at the beauty of everything around him. He did finally notice there was some kind of imbalance happening with the car and stopped to get out to look. As he stood there looking down at his blown tire, he felt so grateful that this tire’s life had served him so well. As he was changing the tire, his thoughts were about how much he cherished his car and the roads, and the opportunity to go anywhere at any time.
The light in the room is getting pretty bright now. There is one more person who hasn’t spoken.
She says her name is Empower/Source. She appears serene and looks at us all with compassion and a quiet joy. Her story of her tire’s expiration goes like this: She knows she was driving in her car because of what happened. Her trust and faith in Life usually allows her to float in her consciousness a little above the physical car so she has a wider view and sense of freedom. When the tire went out, she noticed the car was wobbling a little, so she completely entered her body and got out to see what was what. Another car immediately stopped right next to her and the driver asked her to allow him to be of assistance to her. She could see this person was trustworthy, and so agreed. He was very focused and efficient and completed the job quickly. She loved watching him work and thanked him deeply and sent him her blessings. As he left and she went on with her journey, she thought of the little game of interaction that had just occurred and went into an even higher level of ecstasy and joy, and her commitment to Life deepened and widened. She was ready for the next game in Life, the next action, and the next opportunity to radiate compassion and joy.
Well, this is the end of our story. As with all good stories about love it has a happy ending. And since it’s also a story of a journey, it shows us the road behind and an idea of the road ahead.
As one of those handsome movie cowboys used to sing, “Happy trails to you, until we meet again.”
Copyright © Sandra Dean 2010
In galaxies far, far away there began to circulate a persistent rumor of happenings on a smallish planet, the third from its Sun. It seems that on this planet there was a newish race of beings still getting used to the blessings and curses of becoming self-aware and mostly making a muck of things and couldn’t seem to figure out how to simply be happy.
Now, so the rumor went, there was a very smart man named Vern Black who lived on this planet in an Emerald City called San Francisco. This man was so smart that he had hung out with, and learned a whole lot from, another very smart man named Werner Earhardt. Now this Werner guy had read a thing or two and thought about it a lot and then, while crossing a long golden bridge, had a visitation of great wisdom. Out of this great visitation of wisdom, this Werner person constructed a large and complicated teaching of exercises on how the unhappy people on this planet could untie the knots in their self-awareness so they could release themselves from their unhappiness and find liberation in peace, joy, and creativity.
Now, to get back to this Vern Black person, having had a few visitations of wisdom himself,
he wanted to help out AND he wanted to do it his way. So he talked to a few angels and other such beings and devised a series of questions designed to assist individual unhappy persons to untie those knots of unhappiness in their minds and step out into the fullness of their potential lives.
Having done that, he wrote a book about it and in the very beginning of the book made up a little story, sort of like this little story, and he called it The Flat Tire Story.
The Flat Tire Story, like all good stories, is full of action and drama, lots of Sturm und Drang, and then little pockets of peace where the person falls back in the grass and looks up at the sky and takes several deep breaths before getting up and going on. It’s a story of initiations and movement inward and outward toward the place of Knowing relationship with the One Being Who made up all of this in the first place.
Now, imagine this. There are 16 of you, of us, who have gathered together in a room in the center of which is a large, oval-shaped table and around which are exactly 16 chairs. We sit down and open envelopes that are on the table in front of each chair. These envelopes contain instructions on how to conduct this meeting. We are, each of us and in a certain order, to go around the table and tell our personal story about an event that just recently happened to each of us.
That event was that each of us recently were driving down a road somewhere and suddenly experienced a flat tire on our vehicle. Now, something that you will notice very soon is that each person has a unique and sometimes strange-sounding name. Remember that names are magical in that they often reveal deep and hidden truths.
And so we begin:
The first person speaks up and says his name is Disloyalty #6, and his nickname is Pretence. What he says is that he was driving down the road in his car, minding his own business, when suddenly Bang! His car swerved across the road and almost hit several people and stationary objects before he could stop. So he stopped and thought to himself, “Oh, one more thing to show me that I’m useless, this car is obviously useless and has betrayed my trust, I wish I were dead, I’m such a failure. Everything happens to me and I’m pissed about it. I can’t do anything right. I don’t know why anyone hangs out with me and I wish I could just roll up into a ball and go hide somewhere until I die!”
Wow! All the rest of us try to remember this is just one person’s experience. We take a deep collective breath, and gesture for the next person to speak.
She says her name is Disloyalty #5 and she doesn’t have the energy to have a story about her flat tire event. She says she was overwhelmed by the whole thing and just lay down on the car seat and waited for something to happen. Eventually someone came along, pried her out of the car and took care of things. She doesn’t remember what happened or even the name of the person who helped her out.
As we lift out heads up from the table, where some of us have dozed off, we dredge up enough hope to be able to listen to the next story.
The next guy says his name is Disloyalty #4 and he is just in a state of grief that this thing happened to him and to his car. He knows he’s not good enough to have a good car, and he shouldn’t ever have even tried to have something nice ‘cause something always happens to him to spoil it all, and it’s all just hopeless.
We begin to wonder just how many of us are we going to have to dump in the loony bin after this? But we go on and let the next person speak.
She says her name is Disloyalty #3 and she is numb with sympathy that these terrible events have happened to these other nice people and it happened to her, too. She says she wants to reach out and help them and hopes someone will reach out and help her, too. She is, she says, yearning to help these others somehow get out of the trap of their extreme unhappiness and she hopes they can help her, too. She’s lonely and tired of being alone.
How much more of this can we take? We don’t know, but we’re here for a purpose and we go on to the next person.
The next guy is sitting in his chair quivering and sweating. He says his name is Disloyalty #2 and that he’s remembering the shock of the flat tire and feeling the fear, despair, and terror all over again. He looks around the room as if something is going to come at him and he wants to see it in time to duck. He talks about how his life is a constant series of threats, and he’s always looking for ways to protect himself, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can tolerate all the fear, dread, and worry.
We don’t know how long WE can tolerate it either, but somehow find the superhuman strength to hear another story.
This woman’s name is Disloyalty #1 and says all you losers are just pathetic. Her flat tire event was the worst. She was seriously inconvenienced, she was humiliated when help arrived, she had a little tantrum as she thought about the people who hate her and probably did something to make this happen. Her car wasn’t in the garage the night before and anyone could have come in the night and done something nasty to hurt her.
Well, this is a change, and why do we all feel a little better now? We also noticed that all the persons who have spoken have very similar names and the first guy had the nickname Pretence. What, we wonder, is that all about?
We question these six and discover that each of them has the nickname Pretence because their so-called friends (better known to them as their persecutors) have told each of them at one time or another, and many times over the course of time, that their attitude and point of view of life is that they are Pretending that life is the shits, and that there ARE other choices.
After the hubbub dies down a bit, we choose to go on. Things are starting to get a little bit interesting.
The next guy says his name is Adversary #2 and he hates his name and he hates us. Just the sight of us puts him into a rage. He is MUCH better than the rest of us, believes he was invited here in order to straighten us out, and that we’ll all be better off when he’s acknowledged to be in charge. When his tire went flat, he got out and cursed and kicked his car, and then went out into the road and forced the next car to stop or hit him, telling that driver he had to help and exactly how to go about it. When that driver objected, A #2 got very close and threatened to harm him. Under threat, the 2nd driver changed the tire and got the hell out of Dodge as soon as he could.
Well! We’re all in a swivet now and wondering if we’re going to get out of this room alive!
The next woman says her name is Adversary #1, she is in shock and pain just listening to the lot of us, does anyone have a Percodan, ‘cause she’s just outraged at this attack on her. Her experience of her flat tire is that it was as if she just suddenly slammed against an invisible wall that had been put up to stop her, there were lots of reasons why her tire was defective – but she had to keep it to herself for lots of reasons only she herself knew, and WHERE is that Percodan?
Gosh! Things are heating up and getting even MORE interesting. We’re on the edges of our seats now waiting for the next chapter.
The next chapter is a kind of weak-looking guy who sort of blends in with the wall. He says his name is Uncertainty and when his car tire blew he was so confused and frustrated because he just didn’t know what to do. Being stopped meant he missed a new job interview and it was all so annoying. He was just exasperated with the whole thing! He had worked so hard to set up the interview, and now this! He remembers that someone came up to him as he stood on the road and suggested something, he doesn’t remember what now. He was just going in circles! Should he go this way, should he do that? He just couldn’t decide!
The energy around the table has definitely taken a new direction and we need a break. We get up and walk around, have some coffee or tea and then, with renewed intention, sit down again.
The next woman to speak said her name was Detriment/Responsible. She says it’s just as well that her tire blew. She had been going to a party, but the way things are going for her right now she knows she would have just made another mess, another glass of red wine spilled on the hostess’s white carpet, tripping and falling into the chip dip, you name it she’s done it and is getting tired of it. She’s so disappointed in herself. She really wants to make more friends, and for some crazy reason people keep inviting her to their events, but it always ends up with her drowning in guilt and embarrassment and then having to clean it up with her friends. She feels there is something wrong with her and it’s all just so boring! Why can’t she just say NO! when people invite her?
Well, we’re pretty confused now! What is going on with this woman? We don’t know and don’t know how to be of any assistance to her, so we go on to the next story.
The man seated in the next chair says his name is Non-Existence. He says he doesn’t know why anyone here is making a fuss about anything. It was the same when he was out driving, enjoying the beautiful day and just humming along. When his tire went out, it was a little bump that got his attention for a moment, but he used his cell phone to call AAA, and they came out pretty quickly and changed his tire. While he was waiting he just looked around, still enjoying Nature and the beautiful day. The tire fixed, he went on his way.
At this, we’re all looking around at each other, scratching our heads. We have gone from life-threatening despair to life-threatening rage, to a complete neutrality of affect. What a ride!
The next woman speaks up and says her name is Danger. She’s not sure why her name is Danger, because she doesn’t think she’s dangerous or in danger. She says when the tire on her car went out, that she cautiously got out of her car to look at the tire, wondered and was a little curious about why it had happened, and a little concerned that everything would be all right. She, too, called AAA and watched closely while the repair person fixed her tire. It was all so interesting!
Then a man speaks up saying his name is Emergency. He looks alert and ready for anything. He reports that when his tire went blap he thought it was pretty funny. He got out and looked at the tire to see what it looked like and just laughed out loud. He had changed lots of tires and thought it was great that he was having this little adventure on the road. He had all the tools he needed and knew how to use them. It was just enough of a challenge that he felt great satisfaction when he was done. He smiles around the room at us, inviting us all to share in the fun of his little adventure.
A woman says that her name is Normal. She sits back, at her ease, to tell her story. Driving along, admiring all that was around her, she was a little surprised when suddenly her tire blew, but she calmly got off the road and went out to fix the tire. While doing so, her attention went to the manufacture of the tire, how well it was made and how well these tires served her and everyone who drove in a car. She smiled at how safe she felt with so much skill and high intention that went into every aspect of manufacturing cars. As she drove off, she thought about how comfortable and convenient cars are and how much their use enhances several aspects of so many people’s lives.
A man’s voice rings out, vibrant and compelling. He says his name is Abundance. He is finding all our stories utterly enchanting and is so glad to be here with us. When his car’s tire went out, he says, he almost didn’t notice it as he was in such a state of bliss at the beauty of everything around him. He did finally notice there was some kind of imbalance happening with the car and stopped to get out to look. As he stood there looking down at his blown tire, he felt so grateful that this tire’s life had served him so well. As he was changing the tire, his thoughts were about how much he cherished his car and the roads, and the opportunity to go anywhere at any time.
The light in the room is getting pretty bright now. There is one more person who hasn’t spoken.
She says her name is Empower/Source. She appears serene and looks at us all with compassion and a quiet joy. Her story of her tire’s expiration goes like this: She knows she was driving in her car because of what happened. Her trust and faith in Life usually allows her to float in her consciousness a little above the physical car so she has a wider view and sense of freedom. When the tire went out, she noticed the car was wobbling a little, so she completely entered her body and got out to see what was what. Another car immediately stopped right next to her and the driver asked her to allow him to be of assistance to her. She could see this person was trustworthy, and so agreed. He was very focused and efficient and completed the job quickly. She loved watching him work and thanked him deeply and sent him her blessings. As he left and she went on with her journey, she thought of the little game of interaction that had just occurred and went into an even higher level of ecstasy and joy, and her commitment to Life deepened and widened. She was ready for the next game in Life, the next action, and the next opportunity to radiate compassion and joy.
Well, this is the end of our story. As with all good stories about love it has a happy ending. And since it’s also a story of a journey, it shows us the road behind and an idea of the road ahead.
As one of those handsome movie cowboys used to sing, “Happy trails to you, until we meet again.”