Random Acts of Kindness

Don't want to get all "touchy feel" on everyone, but I do want to throw this out there..

This evening coming home from an awesome dinner down in Ballard with my 10 year old nephew, spotted an old beat-up Corolla with it's hood up and flashers on; at the apex of a quintessential steep Pacific Northwest Hill...

Old(er) looking man outside the car, attempting to wave down passerby's. I'm about three car lengths away from the stop sign, wondering what the hell is going on. Approach the stop sign, see that the car is obviously disabled, do a momentary evaluation. Car is in a well lit intersection with a couple of LEOs 1/4 mile down the road.. Decide to stop.

Turns out he's out of gas, and has been trying to flag down people for help for the last 45 minutes; one guy stopped, but said he couldn't afford to get him any gas. Gives me a story about how he forgot his wallet in his jacket, which is 50 miles away at a job site, and how if I could give him 3 gallons of gas, he'd be able to make it to a friends house. This is when I remember I've got a Jerry Ca about 1/3 full back at my sister's house about 5 minutes down the road..

Again, think about the situation... yes, his story may be utter BS. But, he is out of gas and clearly looks like he's a little rough around the edges.

Go back, get the Jerry Can and throw $10 of gas in it. Get him taken car of, and help him get his ride started again. All is good in the world.

Again, not trying to get touchy-feely - I'm not religious, either. But, there was just something that made me stop, whether it was having my nephew in the truck or perhaps the fact that this was a positive way to start off 2013. 9 times out of 10, I would have just thought he was some bum, and passed by without giving two shits.

Turns out he was a Vietnam Vet, and is on SSI. Graduated college to be an electrician, and has been working a job in Lynwood to try and supplement disability income. Who knows, maybe his whole story was BS. Really, it doesn't matter.. Like I said, he obviously was hard up, and definitely appreciated the gas. Hell, if I wasn't babysitting tonight, I'd spend $10 in beer alone..

Maybe I stopped to help in light of all of the horrible things that have been going on in our own country lately, recently the senseless murder of a TW member. Having my 10 year old nephew in the truck, I knew that such a simple action of kindness to a stranger has the potential to instill the same sense of generosity within him.

Anyone else done something like this recently?

 

good on ya!

 

I had a guy with a small one gallon gas can come up to me at a station once and ask me for a buck to get him home. I grabbed his can and filled it up (I was filling my truck) said God bless and shook his hand and sent him on his way. I've been doing stuff like this more and more now days... Idk I just feel bad for folks!

 

nice of you to help some one.

i have not done anything like this. i hold doors open all the time and stuff like that, or pick something small up if someone drops it. like a $1 bill when trying to pay for something.

me and a buddy wear walking in the mall parking lot(from his FJ) had a colored gentleman(i’m not raciest AT ALL!! I am pretty good friends with quite a few guys of color!! one I even consider some what of a brother and would trust with my life) he asked if we could jump start his car, but 2 seconds later a guy yelled at him and the guy said never mind my buddy got it going.(or something like that) as we walked a way i got to think about how it seamed kinda fishy and stuff. we both had 3” pocket knifes on us.

I don’t mind helping people out but will only do it if it is in a well lighted area and safe place.(busy mall parking lot or something)

 

I dont like giving people gas or straight up cash because more than once they have lied to me.

 

Nice going jake. Those types of things really do help in the grand scheme of things. People don't forget that stuff and they're more likely to do it again themselves.

And as for you zach, I have no words.

 

you talking to mee? if so what are you talking about even? some of those facy head things are cool.

 

I do...

This is not a topic I discuss much as I'm pretty private and very humble but, I consider it a great success story and I feel lucky every day to be able to be involved. Telling the story is embarrassing as it seems self promotimg.

So far my life has been blessed beyond what I could have ever dreamt (not really religious either but, don't believe one need be to be a good person). Really, so far, I couldn't want for anything more and I've helped people (and been helped when I needed it) in ways most people would not expect (as has happened for me). On my larger efforts I DO ASK FOR SOMETHING IN RETURN and that is that the person I've helped do the same given they have the ability and opportuniert.

I've provided free housing (in my house and other properties I own), paid for college, bought food, provided transportation in my truck and by commercial air, given cash, bought and gave away vehicles (new & used), sent people to rehab, hired & employed people in need when in fact no position was needed at my own private company and some other stuff. In my mind my biggest contribution is dedicating hundreds of hours a year to walk sick people through treatment on a 1 on 1 basis. None of the recipients were family and some were total strangers. Just do me a favor and stop telling me "I need to do my fair share".

I've been doing it for years. Started doing it in earnest as one of my "missions in life" in 2001. I won't go into great detail on a public forum but, because of this I've been tied to and able to work with some truly brilliant people & fascinating projects including a Nobel Prize winner for Physiology and/or Medicine. I've also had the opportunity to interact with Ministers of Health from Canada and some Western European countries to help procure treatment for patients otherwise not covered by the public health care system in their counties. Some of these people receive treatment for their rare, expensive to treat diseases and survive and others don't (these are tuff for me as most are children). In addition, because of my volunteerism, I've been invited to sit on a few different boards of organizations (primarily supported by private donations and through funding from the National Institute of Health) that deal with rare and orphan diseases. To me there may be no better reward then working with organizations who's primary goal is to help the very sick (and many times very young).

I didn't plan for these things to be my "life mission" but, jumped in because one of my loved ones life was literally saved by the same type of people when they became the victim of a rare "orphan" disease that gets no public funding for research AND the treatment WAS experimental and therefore not covered by insurance. My loved one was the first patient to agree to and be treated by a successful protocol for a disease that only has 500 new cases a year. Since then that protocol has been used successfully on numerous other patients.

Call me crazy but, I believe fate put me in this spot for a reason (it was not my chosen profession) and has rewarded me well for being in such a position. I therefore am compelled to return the favor any way and as often I can.

Everything I've listed above I've done for free but, I believe because of what I've done above I've been given a career that has great rewards in many ways...

 

I gave a ride to a pizza guy broken down (out of gas) on the side of the road to the gas station to get gas and then took him back to his car so he wouldnt be late for the delivery.....He happend to be going to my house. I had no idea when he showed up 15 minutes after i got home..It was a little weird. (the family did order pizza though)

 

Nice Job Brother! I've looked past alot of people in the passed years. This year im gonna help when I can.
+1 to you

 

bold = suspicious.

however...nice of you to help another out when he need it.

 

I concur, that was the first though to come to mind as he was telling me this. Like I said though, even if he went through this amount of effort to fake a story, and fake being broken down; he most likely needed $10 worth of gas much more than I did.

Enjoying reading the responses to this. I've met some great people through TW..

 

uh, what?

 

yep