There are certain things in life that are just a pain in the butt and there’s nothing you can do about it. Like getting a flat tire. There’s never a good time for that to happen, especially when it’s 8 p.m. and you’re on the way home with dinner on the front seat, which is getting cold as you search for your AAA card.

But even when life throws you a curveball, it’s good to know that there are really amazing people out there to give a hand.

I had just crossed the railroad tracks on Academy Street last Wednesday when I heard the telltale “psssss” coming from the undercarriage of my car. Never a good sign.

Thankfully, my dad taught me to change a flat when I was in college, so I didn’t panic as I pulled to the side of the road, popped open my trunk and hauled out my spare tire, jack and lug nut wrench.

However, I soon found out there’s a big difference between knowing how to do something and then being physically capable of doing it.

I called AAA as a backup and crouched down next to the tire with my wrench and pulled. Nothing. More pulling. “Am I turning this thing the right way?” I wondered as I recited a rhyme I learned as a child. “Righty tighty, lefty loosy.” I was pulling the wrench to the left, but man was that thing on tight. That was when my luck changed.

An SUV did a U-turn in the middle of Academy Street to pull up behind me and out stepped Cary residents Terry and his wife Michelle. They were on their way out for a quick grocery store run, but Michelle said when she saw me she urged her husband to stop.

So with Terry’s help — oh who am I kidding, he did the whole thing. I just stood there thanking him profusely — the flat was changed and I was home eating my dinner (it was still warm!) in no time.

So a huge thanks to Terry and Michelle, whose last names I did not ask, for going above and beyond to help out an absolute stranger. I hope I can pay it forward and do something equally as generous for someone else.

And while I’m at it, thanks to my dad for making sure I knew how to change a tire so I could keep a level head and not flip out when the unavoidable happened.

Of course, the next day a seemingly simple problem turned expensive when the Midas man told me the enormous nail had actually punctured the sidewall of my tire causing me to buy a new one and I found out how much a little circle of rubber can cost. But still, who ever thought getting a flat tire could help restore your faith in humanity?