Running On Empty

It was around Christmas time. The presents were opened and the wrapping paper and gift boxes discarded and the snow was falling. It was time for us to head home and the roads were becoming quite slick. We were in for a good storm.

We drove along oblivious to what was about to happen. I had just changed veicles earlier in the fall. As we drove cautiously along, the snow was now deep and the big flakes coming at the windsheild caused almost an hypnotic effect as I tried to follow the tracks left my the car ahead of me. Then it happened. No warning. no nothing. The car just slowed down ... then stopped. I got it to restart, but it stopped again just as quickly.

After doing a check, it dawned on me. I had run out of gas. But there was no red light that came on like it did in my other car. No sir, this new car was totally unforgiving, no gas ... no go ... no warning, don't you know.

I have often thought that we humans should have come with little red lights as part of our human package. On those days where there just isn't enough time in the day to get all those important things done ..... and when we are tired,run ragged and close to running on empty - our little red light would come on and warn us that we are dangerously close to running out of gas. But then can't you see it, in schools, workplaces, theaters, cinemas, churches and everywere else you find people gathered ... there we would be - all of us with little red lights burning brightly - telling the world that we are running on empty.

On that night we ran out of gas, a car came along with four young people in it -they assessed the problem, said they would be right back,and after about fifteen minutes they returned with a borrowed gas can filled with gas .... and they wouldn't take any money for the gas either - they wished us a merry Christmas, waving asthey went on their way. It was a wonderful end to what had become a stressfull evening - running out of gas in the middle of a snow covered highway.

Now I have to confess that my new Ford Explorer doesn't have a little red light to tell me I am running low on gas, but it does have one that tells me I am low on windshield wiper fluid and another one tells me if I need air in my tires. Go figure.

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