Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Yesterday was the Mother of All Bad Days for me, but I was rescued by a cluster of unrelated kind people/angels.  My head's still spinning from the experience.

Our house is up for sale and my wife and I agreed to have an open house yesterday.  Before it was to start, I had to take our dog, who's been suffering from some unknown liver problem for over two months, to the vet.  The appointment was timed just right to get back home and help host the open house.  That plan soured in a heartbeat!

Our dog had been making some progress with her disease, but I got the first round of bad news for the day--her blood test indicated she was getting worse.  Nearly $2,000 dollars has been spent so far trying all kinds of ways to help get her better.  Now the vet was telling me it would take another $2,000 to get another ultra-sound test done, as well as surgery for a liver biopsy.  Even doing so, there's no assurance we'll find out either cause or cure.  My wife and I are both unemployed, but moving to a new job in 3 weeks.  So, just when there seemed like light at the end of the financial-hell tunnel, we get whacked with this.  Bless her heart, but our vet knows our situation and copied everything in our dog's file to take with us to our new home.  That was kindness #1.

Five minutes after driving home from the vet, the engine in our 12-year-old car dies.  Just dies.  I was able to coast into a parking lot where quite a few people were coming and going.  As I checked out the problem with the car, I was fairly certain that the timing belt inside the engine had died.  To fix it would cost hundreds of dollars.  It was really a hot day yesterday, so I'm trying to work things out, not block cars in the parking lot, trying to get help on my cell phone, and keep our sick dog from over-heating in the hot car.  My temperature was reaching the boiling point.

Two women sitting outside a store saw what was going down and came over to me to help push the car out of the way.  Trust me--that's a humbling experience for a guy, but those two helpful women really gave me some much-needed relief right when I thought I was going to lose it.  Next, I go across the street to a cafe to get some water for me and my hot doggie.  I start telling the woman waiting on me my really bad day story, and she lights up and says, "Well, my husband is a mechanic at a shop just down the street.  I'll give him a call and see if he can help."

So, I talk with "Dale" on his wife's cell phone, explain the deal, and he says, "I'll be right there."  I'm blown away now.  This guy's going to drop what he's doing and drive to where my car broke down.  When was the last time you got service like that from a mechanic?  He confirms my hunch--timing belt's gone.

While I'm waiting for the tow truck, and wondering how much that will cost, I'm caring for my dog and make sure she gets in the shade.  A woman wearing a work apron (works in the flower shop nearby) walks up to us carrying a huge overflow dish for a potted plant full of cold water and says, "I thought your dog could use some water."  I start wondering if I'm in Heaven or Hell!  She sets the water down and my dog decides to go for a swim, she's so grateful.  She plops down her massiver front paws on her 85 pound body inside the water dish and starts slurping up the water.  The woman and I both laugh; she goes back to her job.

Another woman pulls her car up to the bank.  She's got two dogs and my dog goes crazy wanting to meet (sniff) them.  So I put her back in our car until the other dogs go bye-bye.  The woman comes out of the bank, hands me a dog cookie the bank gave her, and says, "I thought your dog might like this."  Blown away.

The tow truck arrives to rescue the car; my wife, who left the open house, pulls up to rescue me and our dog, and we drive to the repair shop.  "Dale" and his boss are both there and explain what's probably going on with the car in language I could actually understand.  They were both very helpful and made me feel assured that I wasn't going to be ripped off now that they were holding my car hostage.

My wife got what was going on with my day, and said, "I think we deserve to go out for lunch today."  You bet!  We're sitting on the deck at a local bar and grill, under an umbrella, and are getting our stirred-up emotions baptized by the rushing water in the creek just below us.  We get this waiter who is a real gem.  He gets what a bad day I'm having and, when he brings us our drinks, he says, "This one's on me."  I felt like doing what my dog did with her water dish and going for a swim in it!  The waiter was great for the two hours we were there, even shook my hand and hoped my day got better.  He was helping a lot with that.

In the midst of all this craziness, my wife and I got a chance to return some kindness.  As we're waiting for our food and amazed at what a great waiter we've got, a man approaches our table.  He's got 3 drinks in his hands and asks us if it would be OK to join us.  We say sure and invite him to sit.  How often does that happen at an American restaurant?  This man in his 30s has obviously seen better days, going through bad times now, and apparently just needs someone to talk with him and listen.  Despite his troubled and drunken condition, he thanks us both profusely, shakes our hands as we're leaving, and wishes us well.  It made for a very interesting lunch.

Finally, my wife and I agreed that, when we got home, we'd get on the restaurant's website and send the owners a glowing report about what a fantastic waiter "Ted" is.  We even recommended that he'd make a great manager.  I trust that'll make "Ted's" day.  Today, as I wait to get the estimate on my broken-down car, I'm also looking for those angels to arrive who have the cure for our dog's liver problems.  I trust it'll arrive soon...