Courtesy Lives
The nicest thing happened to Chatty last night.
She was driving home from a trip to Michael’s for some beading materials. It was dark, and Chatty was stopped at a light near her house. A notoriously LONG light.
One of those giant pick-up trucks with extra large tires and two sets of headlights pulled up behind Chatty’s little car.
The headlights glared into both her rear-view mirror and her side mirror. The whole interior of her car was lit up.
Chatty sighed, and because she knew it was a long light, she took her hands off the steering wheel to use one to cover the rear-view mirror and the other to cover the left side mirror, and prepared to wait it out.
Suddenly, all the lights on the pick-up went out.
It took Chatty a couple of seconds to realize the driver must have seen her put her hands up to cover her mirrors, and then DID something about it. He turned off his lights!
Chatty was amazed.
When the light finally turned green, Chatty drove through the intersection, and noticed that the pick-up followed her, but didn’t switch his lights back on until there was half a block separating our vehicles. He continued to keep his distance - so that his lights didn’t blind Chatty - until he turned left a few streets later.
Chatty has never had anyone do that before.
Once upon a time, when a stranger would do something nice, people would say “Oh, it’s just common courtesy.”
Well, Chatty is of the opinion that there is nothing common about courtesy! It’s nice to know that there are still people out there who are polite just for the sake of being so, and not because they expect any return.
It was a nice start to the weekend.
She was driving home from a trip to Michael’s for some beading materials. It was dark, and Chatty was stopped at a light near her house. A notoriously LONG light.
One of those giant pick-up trucks with extra large tires and two sets of headlights pulled up behind Chatty’s little car.
The headlights glared into both her rear-view mirror and her side mirror. The whole interior of her car was lit up.
Chatty sighed, and because she knew it was a long light, she took her hands off the steering wheel to use one to cover the rear-view mirror and the other to cover the left side mirror, and prepared to wait it out.
Suddenly, all the lights on the pick-up went out.
It took Chatty a couple of seconds to realize the driver must have seen her put her hands up to cover her mirrors, and then DID something about it. He turned off his lights!
Chatty was amazed.
When the light finally turned green, Chatty drove through the intersection, and noticed that the pick-up followed her, but didn’t switch his lights back on until there was half a block separating our vehicles. He continued to keep his distance - so that his lights didn’t blind Chatty - until he turned left a few streets later.
Chatty has never had anyone do that before.
Once upon a time, when a stranger would do something nice, people would say “Oh, it’s just common courtesy.”
Well, Chatty is of the opinion that there is nothing common about courtesy! It’s nice to know that there are still people out there who are polite just for the sake of being so, and not because they expect any return.
It was a nice start to the weekend.
A random act of kindness!! - and maybe a bit of "pay it forward" - how wonderful!
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:^)
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See, and I'd about given up on the world!
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It was nice, but it would be even nicer if people didn't drive such jerky, behemoth gas guzzlers. They drive me nuts!
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Chatty, you just renewed my belief in the capability of kindness in humankind!
That was even nicer than the rural habit around here of waving at one another as you drive down the narrow roads.
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