I had planned to drive to Kissimmee this evening, but that trip had been canceled for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, this afternoon I was doing what I intended to do on my way to Kissimmee, going to the hospitals to leave my contact information with the chaplains. As I had discussed with my lama, although there are many different Buddhist groups in the Tampa Bay area, some of the hospitals may not know who to contact when a Buddhist patient is admitted. Therefore, I could serve as the contact point to find appropriate and qualified Buddhist clergy to provide spiritual care. I had been to Plant City's South Florida Baptist Hospital, but their chaplain is only there in the mornings.
As I was heading to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, chanting Achi Chokyi Drolma's mantra, the steering wheel began jerking from side to side and the front end started thump-thumping. Suddenly, I heard a loud bump on the underside of the van and immediately recognized what was happening: a tire was coming apart. I was fortunate to be going slow on a road with a broad shoulder. I got off the road less than two van-lengths from the first piece of tire that came off. I called AAA and read while I waited and chanted a few more mantras.
Tomorrow I can buy one tire and have the spare put back in its storage place under the van. Maybe between now and the next time I need a spare tire I can replace the "donut" with a full size tire, but, right now, I can be grateful that I did not have a wreck from the tire coming apart at highway speed on I-4 on the way to Kissimmee. Once again, I was spared from an undesirable outcome while chanting the Achi mantra, leading me to attribute it to her protection. Just as my maternal grandmother protected me when I was growing up, our beloved Achi protects Drikungpas who honor her.
The tow truck driver quickly changed the tire and got me on my way. However, I went to my sister's house where I could fill the spare to its specified pressure, because my compressor was at her house. I'll have to go to the hospitals one morning soon to accomplish what I had set out to do.
No comments:
Post a Comment