SPARE ME

Do you know why they have coined this phrase? I abound with theories and I intend to share them.

First of all there is the spare you keep in the trunk when you have a flat tire. It is often a tire that is just a make due type of tire because you only plan on using it long enough to get to a tire store and have a real tire fix. These days a lot of car manufacturers understand this aspect of driving, which is why they put those small little donut spares in trunks instead of a regular size tire. I mean who cares when the thing only has a limited value.

There are people in our lives we treat like a spare tire. And I'm not talking about the one they are lugging around their middle. I'm speaking of people who serve a temporary purpose and then you forget about them. They are good enough to be used, but not to be useful on a regular basis.

I've got plenty of these kinds of people in my life. They often even work for me. Only I never talk to them because I have them working in some department I almost never visit or care about. Oh yeah, I savor those kind of spare me people. They serve a purpose, but outside of doing a crappy job nobody else would do, you don't even or care that they exists.

Cruel as it might be, that is part of life. You can't drive the road called being without having the occasional flat. So you need a few spares to make sure you don't get slowed down on your journey.

Meanwhile that isn't the only form of spare. There is the type of spare as in a bowling alley. That is one of the ten pins that you failed to knock down so it keeps you from your goal. It is part of the whole and you can't play without it, but darn it all, it is just such a pain the way it stands there and doesn't cooperate.

So you end up having to exhaust yourself with extra effort just to get that spare pin to do what all the others have already done. They are something other than a source of joy, that's for sure!

These are generally the more temperamental types of employees. They serve a purpose, but darn they give you so much grief.

But at least they aren't the only employees. I do have a few that are neither of the first two types of spares.

For me they are like spare change. They are useful and come in handy when you need something from a vending machine. So you do enjoy having them in your pocket. Although they can be heavy to lug around. But it is worth it when you have a craving.

Oh yeah, spares are definitely something I know about. Sometimes I even manage to not think about them. At least until I need them.