Last night, on my way into a meeting at a friend’s apartment, I was a bit surprised to witness humanity at its best.
A man’s truck was parked outside the apartment complex with the hood open. He appeared to be fiddling with the truck and had a pair of jumper cables, but didn’t seem to have much luck.
Two minutes later, another man walked by and asked if Man #1 needed his car jumped. Man #2 said he’d go get his car, which was parked around the corner, and bring it back.
Man #2 brought his car, parked it near Man #1’s truck, the jumper cables were connected, and Man #1’s truck was fixed.
They disconnected the cables, shook hands, and each went their separate ways. The whole incident took only about seven minutes.
In my dad’s days as a spokesperson for AAA Chicago, he would appear on TV each winter, outlining the contents of a winter-friendly car: a snow brush, a blanket (for cold weather), a candy bar (for sustenance during a blizzard), and jumper cables. My dad always said, “Even if you don’t know how to use jumper cables, someone else will.”
It’s good to be reminded to keep jumper cables in your car; and it’s also good to be reminded to offer kindness to strangers.
