We were on a borrowed Montero in San Francisco when we got a flat tire. On the way home, we decided to stop by a store a few exits from where we stayed. It was there that we discovered we had another flat. Good thing we had a spare. And two men in the car.
So the guys set out to change the tires – no easy task if you need to read the manual to get it done. After an hour and a string of hitches, the spare tire was in and the men proudly released the jack, But as soon as the newly installed tire hit the ground, we heard a hissing sound. All of us quickly grabbed the tools, threw them at the back of the Montero and jumped in.

Jane was a prostitute. She left her children to the care of a distant relative. Her husband had left her long before and she became a mistress to a married man. When this man dumped her because his wife was getting suspicious, Jane lost her mind. She started wandering the streets aimlessly and literally just lived on what pedestrians would offer her. She became a “taong grasa” as she lost interest in self care. A friend of mine shared that she once saw her dancing naked on the streets.

I have a confession to make. Years ago, I attempted to learn how to drive a car. I say attempted because I failed. The car I was using hit a wall and my driver-teacher hurt his foot as a result of my recklessness. I stepped too heavily on the accelerator. As you know, cars have accelerators, but also brakes. And a car needs a good combination of both to run smoothly.

I can pinpoint times in my life when I have acted like a hypocrite. I put meaning into other people’s actions, jumping into conclusions that were way off tangent, without once validating my suspicions. I’ve learns that this was not only a cowardly way of dealing with problems, it was also a non-loving thing to do. In doing so, I was using an inaccurate measure to check the breadth, height or depth of the other’s values and capacities. In the end, I wasn’t harming the other. Instead, I was harming only myself, as the same measure I applied to others would also be applied to me.