Pressure Tactics

Putting On Airs And Graces

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

These shots were taken this week, at one of our local service stations. We all pay for petrol. We all pay for oil. We all pay for everything else, but not for the air we put in our tyres. That's still free, so I thought this photograph was perfect for this week's Photo Hunt theme.

The theme reminds me of a great story about a very close friend of mine. About seven years ago, he asked me about the wording of an advertisement for new cars on offer at a major dealership. "Free air", the ad proclaimed in bold letters.

"Yes," I answered, "that's fairly normal."

But he was still puzzled. "Why make a big deal about free air in the tyres?"

That's when I looked left and right to see if anyone else was listening in. Very quietly, I told him that "free air" didn't refer to properly inflated tyres. It meant there was no additional cost if a buyer chose an air-conditioned car instead of a non air-conditioned car!

But if we really think about it, there is no shortage of free products. Blogging is free. Email accounts are free. Local newspapers are free. In come countries, local phone calls are free.

And what of the other treasures of everyday life? They're all free, and where would we be without them? Friendship. Love. Advice. Prayer. Faith. Courage. Laughter. Fellowship. Reliance. Help. Support. Loyalty. Trustworthiness. Honour. Respect. They were the cornerstone of the upbringing that my brothers and I received from our parents, and they are the watchwords we have passed on, in turn, to our own children.

And if you want free roses, just drop into our home and you can help yourself to as many as you want. These roses are called Chicago Peace. They are huge blooms, larger than the palm of my hand and they have a wonderful, subtle fragrance. It's also interesting to see the colours they span. Have a look at this shot of a bud that just started opening in my garden ....

Now have a look at the same flower a couple of days later (below). I took this shot indoors and you can see that the bloom, in a vase, has taken on much more pastel shades. I guess that brings me to the conclusion of this post. Allow me to point out another thing of great beauty that we often take for granted - Mother Nature.