Helping a Stranger While Out on a Run

Today something compelled me to run after work. I knew it was going to be dark when I got back home but it was just eating at me to get my shoes on and head out. This is what happened:

About a mile away from home, while driving from work, there was a large Dodge van on the opposite side of the road with its flashers on. I didn’t think much of it since there was a car parked behind it. I got home, played with the dog for a bit, got ready to run and headed out. I usually run on the same street that I take on my way back from work and, to my surprise the van was still on the side of the road. This is about 20 to 30 minutes after I had passed it on my way home! Now, I know this is suburbia and not many people are out and about on foot, so I was not very surprised that no one had walked by and helped. However, this was during rush hour. A lot of cars were driving by. Even more, the van was on the farthest right lane, which doesn’t have a shoulder. All cars were simply going around it. I stopped and asked the gentleman, about mid 50s, if he needed a hand. He said he needed to push it to the gas station about a block away. So that’s what we did. As we started, I noticed that the van was half full inside. Not an easy load to push. We did this for about a half block and he had to take a break. My quads were also starting to burn. After a minute or so we started pushing again When we were about 30 yards from the station a guy drove up with his mid 80s Honda Hatchback and offered to push the van. Unfortunately the bumpers of the vehicles didn’t reach each other so he parked and helped push. As we started to go onto the driveway of the gas station two other people, a college student age kid, and an older Hispanic gentleman came over and helped out. For a few minutes, there were four people helping out this single man who had found himself alone with a bit of car trouble. Finally, we parked it, the man with the van thanked us and we all went our separate ways.

For the rest of my run I keep thinking about this. Seeing everyone help out was great. We all have it in us. We need to learn how to reach out to those than need it even when they don't ask for it. We need to learn how to be good to one another. At least 20 minutes passed while the man was on the side of the road. How much longer would he have been there if I had decided to watch a movie or play video games with my roommate? I don’t know. Maybe until the guy with the car stopped by. But maybe not. Maybe it was seeing someone helping out that gave him the push to stop and give us a hand as well. Maybe sometimes we need to see someone doing the right thing for us to join them. “Someone else will help” is not the right attitude, but it happens often. So please, help someone out. Do it for them. Do it because it’s the right thing to do. If you don’t, maybe no one else will; but if you do, others will join you. There is so much we can do for one another. From the smallest little gestures to the biggest generosities, it all helps. Love is all we have, so share it with everyone because we all need it.

That was the best run I've ever been on.