Are We Having Fun Yet?














 

These are all photos from my recent trip with Stuart to Oshima Island. It really could have been more gorgeous!

I continually remind myself how important it is to have a sense of humor! When I am struggling, I love to ask myself, "Am I having fun yet"? Last night gave me plenty of opportunities to apply these lessons!

 The evening started innocently enough as I was thoroughly enjoying the bike ride home on my new bike. Despite the very strong headwind, I was making good time using the electric assist. That was until I felt the dreaded feel of a tire going flat. Sure enough, in no time at all, I came to an abrupt stop with no air in the back tire.

Well, no problem! I had a spare tube and I have changed plenty of flat tires. I proceeded to remove the back wheel and then spent 30 minutes pulling my hair out as I tried to remove the damn tire! Unfortunately, the tire was so tight up against the rim that I was not able to remove that tire, no matter what I tried to do.

OK, round two. I Googled bike shops near me and found one a third of a mile from my position. Great! I will put the wheel back on and roll my bike to that shop. That would have worked if I could have put the wheel back on! I spent another 30 minutes trying to get that damn wheel on! No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the shaft to catch. Are we having fun yet? Maybe, not so much!

I then started to carry my bike to the shop. Oh, I forgot to mention that I was doing this with a sore back and a pinched nerve in my neck. Are we having fun yet??!!

I got to the bike shop, only to find it was closed, despite the fact that Google said it was open. Darn that Google! Fortunately, there was a phone number to call with instructions in English. I called the number, but the person who answered said he does not speak English. He said he was sorry. Are we having fun yet??!!

 I returned to Google and found another bike shop another half mile away. I hustled as it was going to close in 35 minutes! All of the sudden, out of nowhere, this man walks up to me and in broken English with gestures, asked me if I was the person who called about a flat tire. What??? Where did this angel come from? I responded by saying yes! He motioned for me to follow him to the same shop I had just been to.

He took one look at the bike and then said he has never worked on a bike like mine because he focuses on BMX bikes! Fortunately, he said he was willing to give it a try. It was not a good sign when he asked me what size hex wrench he needed to take off the wheel. Are we having fun yet???!!

Being the considerate person he is, the shop owner, Nari, asked me if I wanted him to patch the tube or put in the new tube I had. What a gentleman! Many mechanics want to save time so they take the easy route and toss the tube in favor of a new tube. However, I voted to save the tube. Nari then spent an hour meticulously patching the tube while we chatted away using Google Translate!

At one point, he asked me why I was so polite in comparison to other Americans he has met. Thanks mom and dad!

For all of this, Nari charged me the ridiculous amount of less than $10! I offered to pay more, but he refused my offer. I hope I will have the chance to treat him to a nice meal.

If you ever get to our neck of the woods, please pay a visit to Bonz Bros, Nari's shop. I guarantee you he will treat you well! And who says good deeds are a thing of the past!

Happy Spring and my best to all of you!

Bob Reed

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