A flat tire isn’t the end of the trip. It’s a lesson in carrying a spare.

Trouble on the way somewhere is not the same as the trip ending. A blown tire is expensive, annoying and entirely survivable, and the useful part is what it teaches about what you were carrying and what you were not. Most setbacks work like that. They are not verdicts on whether you should have set off, they are information about your preparation.

When something goes wrong this month, give yourself the bad hour first, then ask one question: what would have made this smaller. Buy the spare, save the number, write the backup down. You cannot prevent the next flat and you can decide how long it stops you.