So, for those of you that don’t know, I work for a fire department……..

Today, about 2:30pm, my crew and I were on our way back to the fire station from a call. That’s when I spot a girl standing next to her bike talking on the cell phone. Something told me that she didn’t look too comfortable with the situation, and something was wrong. I told my driver to turn around and go back.

We stop and talk with her. I would say she was 14 or 15 years old. We ask if everything is ok, and that’s when one of the guys in the back of the truck notices that her chain is off and all tangled up. She said her name was Michelle and she was on her way to Drivers Ed, which was located in a church about 2.5 miles away. So the guys load her Schwinn in the truck, and we let her take the front seat. We dropped her off at the church and we told her that we would take the bike back to the station to fix it.

When all was said and done, the chain was fixed, the handle bars and seat were loose, and the brakes were all fucked up. Within 10 minutes the guys and I got the thing all fixed up, adjusted, and tires inflated properly! Now…..For the rest of the story!

When we took the bike back to the church, and found her inside….We wheeled the bike into the hallway outside the meeting room and showed her that we fixed a few minor things…..She shyly smiled and said……(Caution, this will break your heart)……

“THANK YOU! My mom did the best she could last night to fix it, but we didn’t know how to do it properly. When I popped my chain off, I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it to class….My dad is still in the hospital, and my mom is counting on me to pass the Drivers Ed class, so I can get a special emergency underage drivers license so I can help out with getting groceries, and other errands.”

At that point, a huge lump developed in my throat, and my heart just sank. I looked at the firefighters standing there, and nothing needed to be said to my crew. The ride back to the station was a very quiet one. Nobody spoke a word. When we all got back to the station, a couple of guys picked up their cell phones and called their kids just to say that they love them…

The point of this story is to remind everybody the following:
1) No matter how bad of a day you are having, somebody’s is always much worse.
2) Slow down, and smell the flowers. The dishes can be cleaned after the kids go to bed.
3) If somebody cuts you off in traffic, it could be my little friend Michelle and her family racing to the hospital, because mom just wants the kids to talk with their father one last time.
4) Just because everything appears to be fine on the outside, doesn’t mean that things are hunky-dory inside. This is especially true with today’s youth.
5) Don’t dwell on the life you don’t have, embrace the one you DO have.

Be safe, thanks for reading, and check your smoke detectors monthly!

-Nudist Hot Spot