Jesse and I believe that if you put good things out into the world, you'll get good things in return. We try to teach the kids to do random acts of kindness. Just yesterday, we had the kids bring up the neighbors trash cans from the curb.
"Why?" Jackson asked.
"Because it's okay to do nice things for others just to be nice".
This is the first blog I'm writing in real time because of what happened to me today. Don't worry.... it wasn't anything tragic; just an unfortunate series of events.
I honestly hadn't planned on leaving the house today, but the twins had been couped up inside all day, so I decided to run to the bank, and then we'd grab a quick bite to eat. When I started the van this morning, it was a little sluggish, but it got us to the bank and to Panera, so I didn't think anything of it. When it was time to leave Panera, the van wouldn't start. I didn't panic, but I did have a dilemma. I decided to call AAA, but they said it could take up to two hours for the tow truck to arrive. AAA was my plan A, but I needed a plan B. (Always have a plan B). I figured, I could just get a jump. Although I had jumper cables in the back, I was parked between two cars with a curb in front of me, so I wouldn't be able to get jumped unless it was by one of those two cars. So the twins and I waited, hoping one of the owners would come out. Well, today was the hottest day of the year, and that plan didn't last long. I went inside and talked to a couple employees to see if they knew who the cars belonged to. No one was really that helpful. Then I saw a lady come from the back and I got a glimpse of "manager" on her name tag. I explained my problem and she was very sympathetic. She knew it wasn't one of the regular customers, so she basically went around to every table and asked if they drove a blue F-150. When she found the guy, we had to wait for him to finish a phone call, but she gave the twins cups of water and offered one to me. She even offered to stay with the twins while the guy helped me get the van started.
I wish that was the end of the story. The jump didn't work. I went inside to check on the kids, and by the time I came out, the tow truck arrived. I thanked the Panera manager, scooped up the kids, thanked the guy who tried to help, and figured he would get the van started, right?
Wrong. He says it's the starter. Really, dude? He says he has to tow me. Where? I don't know what's around here. Once he and I decide where to go, he tells me the tow truck can't carry the car seats. "Not enough room". I tell him to just go ahead and tow the van and I'll work on a ride.
Keep in mind, I haven't called my husband because I don't want to bother him at work. But now I feel obligated to let him know what's going on. He insists on driving down to pick us up. I say no because I still need transportation. I tell him I have this handled and I'll call him back in a bit. So where do we end up? Back inside Panera. I looked for that same manager, but I felt terrible because she was on her lunch break. I asked her if she could watch the twins while I haul out all the car seats and "gear" we need from the van. She happily agrees. Once I got back, she brought markers and paper for the twins to color on and even helped me look up rent a car places on her phone. I know I thanked her a million times and she kept saying it was no problem.
The rest isn't exciting. Went to the Nissan dealership (and had an interesting talk with the driver about God and marriage), got a Quest, and came home. Turns out, we just needed a new battery for the van.
I'm telling this whole long story just to say this: don't underestimate the kindness of strangers. Ms. Tony didn't have to help me. She didn't have to go the extra mile talking to all those customers and bringing us water and giving the kids the markers and watching the kids when I was outside. But she made the choice to go above and beyond to help me. I was so grateful.
That's my story. Be kind. Be a good person. Make someone's day.
If you happened to visit the Panera in St. Augustine on 312, be sure to say hi to Tony :)
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