When the Wheels Came Off

The past month on the road unfolded like nothing I imagined.

The plan was simple: leave my hometown in northern Italy, cross France, and head into northern Spain. San Sebastián was on my radar, followed by a coastal road trip and a birthday celebration in León on August 31st. From there, I’d continue south, then loop back home through Spain and France by early October.

That was the plan.

On day two, cruising along France’s N94, I heard strange noises under the steering wheel. Confident in Bruno—my van—I thought, let’s wait and see what this is.

Then I saw it: my wheel flying across the road in the opposite direction. Me slamming on the brakes as metal scraped against the asphalt.

That was August 1st. The front left wheel gone. After repairs, another strange noise. More check-ups. More repairs. And then, on August 15th, the back right wheel flew off too.

This time, I froze. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Things I thought impossible were happening, and I had no control.

Since then, my body has lived in survival mode. Life felt fragile—small, unpredictable. I saw how quickly death can arrive, how easily the illusion of control shatters. My trip was first on hold, then canceled. I had to stay in places I never planned to stop, relying entirely on strangers. No matter how hard I pushed toward Spain, life shoved me back.

And in that resistance, the real lessons began.

Lessons in Fear, Ego, and Presence

If the first trip with my van began in fear, this second one has been marked by terror!

Losing trust in your vehicle feels like losing trust in your own body. Every vibration rattles me. Every sound makes me flinch.

Being myself, I’ve learned, is terrifying. Risking—constantly. Financially, physically, emotionally.

And yet, in the middle of fear and chaos, life keeps teaching me: this mess is not the real journey. These breakdowns are just "noise".

We chase destinations as if they matter more than the road itself. But I’ve realized—the destination is an illusion. The only real experience is this moment: how we respond, how we show up.

Life is forcing me to be present. To stop chasing landscapes and instead notice what’s right in front of me: the people I meet, the reality unfolding here and now.

Each misadventure strips away a layer of ego. It’s painful—like being dismantled piece by piece. But beneath the masks, something freer emerges.

The Power of Kindness

And in all this, one truth keeps coming back to me: nothing is more underestimated than the power of kindness.

It’s easy, under stress, to lose patience, to demand quick fixes, to see only our own drama. But when we get lost in that cycle, life pushes back harder.

This trip showed me that every encounter matters—whether with a mechanic, a receptionist, a stranger on the street, or the woman on the phone from roadside assistance. Each one reflects something of ourselves. Somehow, we are all of them at once.

When I surrendered to not being in control, I opened to life—and life responded with grace.

And I don’t mean kindness as politeness. Politeness is people-pleasing, a mask. Real kindness is raw. It shows up when there’s nothing left to lose.

I first experienced the power of kindness standing beside my dying father. In his final days, he was selfless. And when I dropped my own masks too, what surfaced was sweetness of heart: gentleness, presence, pure love. That experience still shapes me.

On the road, I felt it again. The most beautiful moment of this trip wasn’t a view, or a milestone, but buying lunch for a homeless man. He asked for food. How could I say no? I’m too privileged to refuse such a simple request.

He didn’t expect it. But when I said yes, he was happy. And so was I. That small act gave me more joy than almost anything else. It broke me open and stitched me back together.

Kindness is the most underestimated power we have. It changes not just the other person, but us.

Lessons from the Road

So far, here’s what the road has taught me:

1. Control is a myth. Wheels can literally fly off. Life humbles us fast.

2. Fear signals growth. Progress doesn’t come without it.

3. The journey is the destination. Each present moment is where life really happens.

4. Being yourself is risky. But love, intuition, and authenticity are the only real path.

5. Ego must fall away. Breakdown after breakdown strips us closer to truth.

6. Kindness is power. Not politeness. Not pleasing. Real kindness—the kind that looks someone in the eyes and says, I see you.

Maybe my journey with Bruno is temporary. Maybe it’s already taught me what I needed. Or maybe—it’s just the beginning.

I don’t know. But I do know this: wherever we are, whatever breaks down, kindness carries us farther than any wheel ever could.