The kindess of strangers {Nebraska Photographer}

I have two memorable “random acts of kindness” moments in my life.

The first one was when I was 20 years old and a junior at Michigan State University. I drove a 1997 Chevy Cavalier and would push the gas mileage to it’s limits. I worked 20 miles away from campus on a horse farm and on my way home one evening I tried to make it on the little gas I had left. I broke down literally YARDS from the gas station. As I walked across the highway (a four lane busy intersection) a gentleman stopped and asked if I ran out of gas. I told him I was just going to walk over to the gas station and he insisted I go with him to his work and get some gas, “they’ll charge you for a gas can at the gas station” he told me.

I took him up on it. He had a young girl in the front seat, and I thought, “he has a daughter, nothing bad can happen to me.” I was very naive when I was young. So I get in the back seat of this old Oldsmobile and then started to notice little things. There wasn’t a radio in the dash (it had been torn out), the little girl was talking about scary movies and the man said, “your Mom and Dad won’t let you watch those, will they?”, Oh my gosh! She wasn’t his daughter. I got nervous, and dialed 911 on my cell phone ready to take action.

He drove to a used car lot and got a gas can and drove me back to my car. I tried to pay him and he simply said, “No, now you go do something nice for someone”. Wow. I felt foolish and lucky all at the same time.

My second encounter was yesterday. I was feeling down as the day wasn’t shaping up to the way I had planned, and went to the mall to try to find a sport coat for my son. They didn’t have any in his size at one store and the second store I couldn’t find JUST coats, they all came with pants.

At the second store the sales lady stopped and asked if I needed help. I mentioned I just needed a coat not a whole suit. Her face lit up and she told me she had one at her house that her son wore years ago. They were just going to donate it so she called her daughter to bring it to the store! She had no idea who I was, but was willing to go out of her way to get me a suit coat even out of her own home. I was floored. She could have just told me they didn’t sell just coats and send me on my way.

The coat is too big, but STILL, she helped a perfect stranger. I hope I see her again, she was the sweetest lady.

In our society, we all assume people are out to harm us. But it’s nice to know that there still people out there that will stick their necks out for a stranger.

Pass on the love, I know I will.