Pay it Forward
I hit a crockpot-hole yesterday; too big to be called a regular pothole. It was a huge gaping wound in the blacktop and I didn’t see it until the last second. I swerved and managed to avoid nailing my front tire, but my back tire wasn’t so fortunate.
Two miles later, I heard the flup, flup, flup sound and knew the score:
Crockpot-hole:1 Tire: 0
I’ll spare you the details of the hour-and-half adventure, but it ended when a couple of guys, (Paul & Gordon) along with their wives and small children, shared their time and tire-changing talents with me.
Another encounter with amazing grace.
Paul & Gordon handled everything. I did little more than pull out the spare tire tools and express my gratitude.
Thanks didn’t seem enough.
In the moment I mostly tried not to make everything awkward (which, for me, means talking more than necessary), but on reflection, I found the experience of letting someone help me a little emotional.
Apparently, I don’t accept unearned service very well.
However, Paul & Gordon’s kindness, and the fact that their wives encouraged their help, made me grateful for the bump in the road.
Don’t ever doubt how service impacts others. Remember these words from the writer Catherine Ryan Hyde:
“..you don't need much to change the entire world for the better. You can start with the most ordinary ingredients. You can start with the world you've got.”
Look for an opportunity today to encourage someone and use whatever ordinary ingredients you have. Even if it's just changing a spare tire!