The Pittsburgh Post Gazette has a letter by Jane Johnson, thanking a random stranger, Stephen, for helping her out in a tough situation. While getting out of her car at a recycling center in Green Tree, a Pittsburgh suburb, Johnson accidently hit the lock button instead of the button to open her hatchback. Johnson, a widow who has been self-isolating, was dismayed to see her keys and her purse sitting on the front seat of her car. Lucky for Johnson a gentleman witnessed her difficulty and came over, cell phone in hand, to see how he might help.
Stephen called AAA, “Got put through to California—and after somewhat of a hassle—was connected with Pittsburgh AAA. [Stephen] gave them my name and license plate number, and stayed with me until the AAA truck arrived. It was fixed quickly.”
What a difference it makes when someone reaches out to help us. The random kindness of a stranger can restore our faith in humanity in difficult times, reminding us that being good to each other is what it’s all about. Jane Johnson wrote to the Post Gazette because, as she put it, “This was the closest connection I had had with another human being in weeks,” and she wanted to say thank you.
These are frightening times to navigate on our own, so if you see a way to help someone, why not reach out and make the world a better place for someone? Good deeds, after all, have a habit of rubbing off on others, and revisiting us in kind.
