Ten Minutes of Terror
Ever dropped a van on your head? Well last night that is exactly what I did. After attending a full day ‘self-development course’ I was tired, grumpy and agitated. It was 7pm and I thought it would be a good idea to quickly change the flat tyre on my Volkswagen van on Mum’s sloping driveway.
As it was dark I had no idea how high the van was leaning over and also the fact that the jack was digging into the chassis. I was lying on the pavers with my head next to the tyre when I heard the van creak and start to tip over. I freaked out and tried to quickly lower the van by foolishly winding the jack… the wrong way! The creaking got louder as the jack bent the metal of my sliding door like a can opener. As I frantically wound the jack down, it gave way with a ‘bang’ and the van dropped within inches of my head.
As I lay on my back in shock I called out to Mum to help me, so she did so by standing over me and barking the following advice “For God’s sake Brett, call the RAA , you know your limits, why do you keep going outside your abilities? Just call the RAA, that’s what you join for, let them do it”. I found this empowering advice really helpful as I clung onto the van to stop it falling any further.
The metal chassis is now ruined, the door no longer slides, and I still have no idea if the wheel is safe. I am however looking forward to the humiliation when the crash repairer shakes his head as he inspects the damage tuesday morning….hmmm
