Because You’re Never Too Important to Be Kind
Earlier today, I pulled into a local Kroger gas station, just planning to top off my tank and be on my way. But as I stepped out, a van pulled up beside me, and something about the look on the driver’s face made me pause. He sat there gripping the steering wheel, his brow furrowed in a way that spoke of more than just the typical hassles of a grocery run.
I rolled down my window and called over, “Is everything okay, sir?”
He hesitated, then let out a long breath. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with my car,” he admitted.
Without another thought, I jumped out and said, “Pop the hood, buddy.”
We lifted it up, and I pulled out a tester I keep in my truck for exactly these kinds of roadside mysteries. It didn’t take long to figure out the problem: the alternator had gone bad, and the battery wasn’t charging anymore.
“How far do you live from here?” I asked.
He told me it was only about a mile down the road — close enough that if we could get a little juice back into the battery, he might limp it home. So I hooked up a charger to give him enough power to get there. As we waited, he looked a bit embarrassed, almost defeated.
“You’ll probably need to replace that alternator soon,” I told him gently.
His shoulders slumped even more. “I honestly don’t have the money to fix it,” he said, his voice low.
I reached into my pocket, pulled out one of my business cards, and handed it to him. “When you get home, call me,” I said. “I’ll come by and take care of it.”
He stared at me, eyes wide. “Why would you do that for someone you don’t even know?”
I just smiled and shrugged. “Because you’re never too important to be nice to people.”
It was a small moment in the grand scheme of things, but as he drove off — battery charged enough to make it home — I thought about how many times each of us has been in his shoes. How many times we’ve hoped someone might show up out of nowhere with a little help and zero judgment.
We all get busy. We all have our own stresses. But none of us is ever too important to pause, to lend a hand, or to be simply — and radically — kind. That’s the sort of thing that turns an ordinary day at the gas pump into something neither of us will forget.
