I’m knee-deep in snow, shoveling my very unglamorous green Chevy Malibu out of a mountain of snow.
It’s not the first time. In fact, every other time I try to pull in or out of my lot, my car gets stuck.
But this time, four burly men come literally running to my rescue.
Well, they weren’t so much burly as actually kind of smallish in stature and a little goofy. But I was overjoyed to see my friends looking fresh and ready to save me.
With no hesitation Zach relieves me of my shovel and starts plowing away at the spot. The other three heave and ho to push my car out of the mess I had made.
Those goofy guys helped me go from 50 percent frozen and 100 percent hopeless to absolutely relieved and free of my icy confinements in just a few minutes. I’m sure it was no big deal to them, but their act of kindness was touching.
In the desolate chill of winter, kindness can be hard to come by.
We’re so busy running from the blustery gusts of wind and dodging hail bullets that when someone needs help, we don’t often stop.
However, something that does often happen: the car that’s almost as old as I am getting stuck in the snow.
The next day I found myself in the same scenario; knee-deep in snow, shoveling myself out of my own icy Hell. And again to my rescue appeared a new set of strapping young men to push me out of the booby trap that is residence hall parking.
There were plenty of people who walked by, watching me struggle and didn’t even pause.
And another time, without fail, my car refuses to budge from the spot it’s parked in.
This time a spritely, little girl – probably 90 pounds soaking wet – offers some help.
In this case, she offers help in the way of her expert driving skills. She evidentally has much experience in the way of off-road driving. And in almost as little time as it took me to get stuck, she has me out of trouble and road-ready.
Everyone has classes, meetings, jobs to go to and dinner to eat, but a little help from a stranger can make a person’s day.
I know I was pleasantly surprised and tickled pink that these people stopped to help me. I’m typically not the type to play the damsel in distress. If I can get myself into a mess, I can get myself out, or at least that’s what I thought before.
Whether they were my friends or total strangers, they didn’t accept my modest protests for help and instead did exactly what I couldn’t – fixed my mistake.
When you find yourself in a tough situation, accepting the help of a kind stranger is the right move. The most appropriate response is a polite thank you to your knight in shining armor, be it lumberjack or Thumbalina. Then, remember what these people did for you the next time you see someone in a tough spot.
Not only did I learn that random acts of kindness do exist, but also that it’s always handy to have a shovel in your trunk, and that I should probably stop trying to back out over a mountain of snowy boulders.
Haley Joel Osmond said it best, “Pay it forward.”
Whenever you see someone in need – or at least some poor sucker with their car stuck – help them out.
And if all else fails, call Police and Safety to pull your car out.
BRIANNA WOODS
