So Much Good

This is an easy topic for me. Good deeds happened all the time with me, for me and because of me. But what is important is the connection we make with other people in that one moment. We are not alone. You are not alone.

Today, on the way back from dropping my daughter off at her boyfriend’s house, I came around the corner and a truck was half in the slow lane and half on the side of the road. With no one behind me, I pulled over and asked if he needed his battery jumped. He didn’t but his truck was not driving right. I asked how I could help him as I am not a mechanic. He asked if I could drive him home. His house was on my way home. He seemed non-threatening. I made this quick and easy decision to take him to his house. He is an older gentleman and it appeared that he was quite broken up about his truck not driving right. In the ten minutes it took to drive him to his house, he explained how he had this car for a long time and he was going to buy another one soon. I dropped him off at his house and he called a friend to come help him figure out what was wrong with his car. He had left his phone at his house. I should also mention that it is winter where I live, it was snowing and he lives up a decent grade of a mountain. This man was so thankful that he had tears in his eyes and promised to only call me if his friend couldn’t help or if he needed someone to talk to. It was then that I realized he lived alone. I think he might need me as a friend. It’s all about connections with people.

Also, today, I donated a manual wheelchair we were no longer using to an organization associated with the Rotary to help redistribute mobility equipment. When I dropped it off, the man told me he knew of someone who needed this wheelchair badly. Other good deeds I perform is to pick up trash at the beach. My children and I have watched ducks pick up trash thinking it was food. One duck almost choked in front of us. From that point forward, we pick up trash as soon as we get to the beach.

My son is a special needs child who does not walk unassisted. I hold his hand or both hands when we walk anywhere. Sometimes it is easy and other times it is a struggle. One time when it was a struggle, a man held the door for us as we were walking into a restaurant. Of course, I said thank you. It was just my daughter, my son and myself. The restaurant was small and I noticed this man would occasionally look over at our table. I also have to feed my son his food. The man and his wife ate their dinner and left without saying anything to us. When I went to pay our bill, the waitress let me know that it was paid for by the same man. One time in the grocery store, my son threw an item out of the cart. I went to pick it up. It had landed a little in front of a lady in a motorized wheelchair. I apologized and made a humorous comment about how maybe he thought she also needed the item. I can’t remember what it was but if it was bread, I said something like maybe she needed the bread. She laughed, I laughed, and I finished my grocery shopping. When we were finally ready to get in the checkout line, she approached us and wanted to pay for our groceries. I declined at first saying that it wasn’t necessary. But she insisted. Also, one day in the grocery store, I went in for something quick. At the self-checkout as I rang up items, a firefighter came up to the self-checkout beside me. He was buying a bunch of sandwiches for what looked like a fire crew. I offered to pay for their lunch as a thank you for being a firefighter. He declined at first but I insisted.

Little good deeds happen all around. I truly believe that now, more than ever, we have to be nice to whoever is around us, when the opportunity presents itself. You just never know who needs a little help today.