Help Is All Around Us

Last month I headed off on one of my day-long bike rides to bask in the beauty of the Gatineau Hills. For hundreds, if not thousands of cyclists, the Gatineau Hills is a cycling haven and summertime playground. After a couple of loops of the park, I decided to stop to have my lunch. When I hopped back on my bike, I was met with a completely deflated (flat) back tire.

I knew I had a bike repair kit in my pannier bags. However, I had a flat tire repaired at the bike shop the day before and the bike shop had installed a style of inner tube that had a nozzle that my bike pump did not fit. Even if I could repair the leak in the inner tube, I would not be able to pump up the tire. I resolved myself to having a nice, yet very long, walk home. I was at the furthest point from home, about 30km, and figured it would take me 4-6 hours to get back home on foot.

Less than 5 minutes into my walk home a young man and woman cycling by and stopped to ask if I needed help. I explained my situation and the young woman said she had a pump that would fit the nozzle on my inner tube. We proceeded to pump up the tire. I thanked the young couple and hopped on my trusty steed, relieved that I may be able to cycle back home.

After less than a kilometer, I could tell my tire was losing air again. I was able to coast down a low-grade hill for another kilometer to arrive at a major intersection which served as a major congregation for cyclists, hikers and nature lovers alike.

I hopped off my bike, my tire almost completely deflated by this point. It took less than 2 minutes and a young man stopped and asked if I needed help. I explained my situation. We discussed the options to repair the leek, sufficiently to enable me to get home, and both felt that if I could inflate the tire to a high tire pressure, it should last me until I get home (as this was the case the day before). This young man had a bike pump required for my tire tube and pumped up my tire for me, nice and firm. I felt confident this would do the trick. I thanked the young man for his kindness and headed off toward home.

I cycled less than another kilometer, and the tire was losing air fast. I knew that this tire had to be replaced. I remembered at this point that I had a spare inner tube in my pannier bag that had a nozzle that my bike pump would fit. But this bike, which I got last year, had disc brakes and I had no experience removing a tire with disc brakes. So, once again, I resolved myself to a shorter, yet still long (only 25+ kilometers now), walk home.

After less than a kilometer, I passed a popular picnic park. I decided it was best to call my partner to explain the unfolding situation and let him know that I would be later getting home than usual. My partner suggested I ask someone for help to drive me home. I thanked my partner for the suggestion, but explain that I would need someone with a flatbed truck to fit the bike in, as the bike would not fit in a regular car, or even a car with a hatchback.

Just as I got the words out of my mouth (“I would need someone with a flatbed truck…”), a man with a flatbed truck pulled into the picnic area. I couldn’t believe my eyes! He rolled down his window and asked me for directions to a local tourist site. Forgetting momentarily about my predicament, I gave the man directions. He promptly thanked me and began driving off. I then suddenly remembered I could have used his help. As I waved my arms to flag him down, I watched him speed off in the direction I had instructed. I stood there feeling quite forlorn! My ‘meal ticket’ had passed through my fingertips! So close…and yet so far!

Once again, I resolved myself to a long walk home and began my journey. Not more than a couple of minutes passed, and another young man cycled by, stopped, and asked if I needed help. I explained the situation, that I didn’t know how to take a tire off a bike with disc brakes. He smiled and said, “I have disc brakes on my bike and I had to repair a flat tire earlier today! So, you’re in luck!”, he said.

This latest savior patiently instructed me how to remove the wheel, replace the inner tube, inflate the tire, and put the tire back on the bike. Voila! Fifteen minutes later I was ready to roll! I thanked the young man and blessed him a good day. I called my partner to provide an update and informed him I would be home regular time, afterall. The cycle back home was uneventful.

On my cycle home, I reflected on the previous unfolding events. Four separate times someone stopped to help me. It felt like God was insistent that I not be stranded and kept sending in the reinforcements to help me get back home. The time spans between resolving myself I would be walking home and then someone showing up to help me were so brief! Literally less than 5 minutes in each of the 4 situations.

The experience has convinced me that help is always around us. We merely need to open ourselves to receiving help. In all cases, I simply resolved myself, calmly, that I would be walking home. “It was a nice day, and while it would be a long walk, I have lots of water and a bit of food, all will be fine.”, I thought. I allowed myself to accept the situation and went with the flow. In the acceptance, I removed my blockages to fear. With no fear, I believe I opened myself to help presenting itself, seeing it, and accepting it.

Robert Meagher has been ordained as an Interfaith Minister and certified as a Sacred Attention Therapy (SAT) Therapist. Robert is the Founder and Spiritual Director for Spiritual Guidance and Co-Founder of the Center for Human Awakening.