A poignant memory
A stranger’s kind gesture happened several decades ago, yet still remains vivid in my memory.
I was heading back to my hometown of St. Louis for Thanksgiving after taking a sports writing job 100 miles south in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
A much-needed homecoming
Seeing family and friends after being separated from them for a lengthy period meant a great deal to me. However, things went sideways twenty-five miles into the trek. My car started to show signs of engine trouble. It was an ordeal just getting the car off the highway and into the nearest town, Perryville, Mo.
Help is within reach
As luck would have it, a gas station was not far from the exit ramp. I told the individual behind the desk the engine was showing almost no power and I couldn’t explain why.
Pointing to two vehicles hoisted up on the only two hydraulic lifts in the station, he said it would be an hour or more before they could take a look. With no other options, I accepted the time I would have to wait and took a seat.
An unexpected source of support
With a look of concern, an individual waiting for his vehicle to be repaired asked me if I was from the area. “I work in Cape, but I’m headed back to my hometown of St. Louis for the holiday,” I said.
He immediately stood, walked into the garage and returned a few minutes later. A truck was brought down from the hydraulic lift and moved to the parking lot.
A stroke of kindness
This meant a shorter wait time for my car. To my surprise the man took the same seat he vacated and grabbed a magazine. “Is that your truck?” I asked.
“Yeah, they’ll get to it when they can,” he replied. “I live just a few miles from here.”
When they asked for my keys to move my car into the garage, I was puzzled over what had just happened.
“Did you tell them to take your truck down so I could move ahead?” was my next question. “Yeah, you need to get home. It’s Thanksgiving. I’m from around here, I’ve got all day to get my truck fixed.”
Altruism provides its own reward
Such a selfless gesture left me temporarily speechless. I thanked him, but that didn’t seem to be enough. Before I could relate how much this meant to me, he went into the garage area to talk to one of the mechanics. Praise was apparently not something he sought.
I think he understood that kindness carries its own reward.
The reason that memory surfaces now? I wonder if that same act of kindness would happen as easily in today’s divisive environment.
Are we more selfish than selfless? Do we still have empathy for others in less fortunate situations?
Do we seek office to do good, to make the world a better place? Or is it for power, personal gain?
A vital sign for hope
Today I experienced something that gives me hope. A woman who had a full shopping cart of groceries already on the belt gestured for me to go ahead of her, mindful that I only had a few items. It was a store without self-checkout stations, so the moment of kindness felt especially uplifting.
A moment, rare or not, to give thanks.
Bill Heitland has authored three books: Adversity’s Early Light, Chance Evers and Two for the Seesaw.
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