Hi Friend
Oh baby, what a week! The move happened. I survived. Life continues on. Whew.
I wasn’t sure that was going to be the case last Saturday morning. Around 11pm Friday night, my neighbor Chris and I got my car on the tow dolly; the last thing I needed to do before going to bed. I woke up, wrote you quickly, then headed out to the truck at 6:27am. I was 30 minutes ahead of schedule. I hopped in my Budget Box Truck to drive off when I heard a scraping sound.
Two hours later, Carl, my other neighbor and two other unknown neighbors were waving goodbye to me as I finally pulled away. Turns out my car has an automatic parking brake that engages, which prohibited my back tires from turning. YouTube didn’t have a solution. The Hyundai Service department said it couldn’t be done. Yet, we did it. Off I went for a pleasant 12.5 hour drive.
Arriving just after 9pm, I was exhausted. I parked the truck, kissed my wife and fell asleep. Sunday was unloading day. A third went into the apartment, a third went to my newly rented office, and a bigger third went to a storage unit. Two of Michelle’s friends from church brought three of their kids to help us unload at the storage place. They were magical!
Two days in a row, people I didn’t know inserted themselves into my world to be generous, helpful and sort of a lifesaver. Instead of stranger-danger, I experienced big-hearted-strangers. They weren’t just kind, they engaged their minds and bodies to literally move my life forward. It was humbling.
UNSTUCK
The issue with my back tires, was way above my pay grade. I am not mechanical. Cars are as much computers as well, so I was completely flummoxed. A man walking his dog at 7:30am, stopped by and eventually cracked the case. I still don’t know his name, but he set me free and saved me from what I thought was going to be one long painful day without driving. He was a divine intervention.
Are you currently stuck? Does it seem like your immediate future might be an unwanted one? Or are you trying to get somewhere and just can’t figure out how to make it happen? ASK FOR HELP. Let me say it again, ASK FOR HELP. There are people who know things you don’t and are willing to help.
STRANGER-GENEROSITY
I suspect YOU are the kind of person, if someone requested assistance, you’d oblige. Granted, you might not unload a moving truck, but you’d share experiences, knowledge and be helpful as able. Thank you for being that kind of person. What struck me about both my scenarios, is that the people just inserted themselves. Michelle didn’t ask her friends to come, they told us they were coming!
How many of us are looking for ways to help others that we don’t even know? I’m blown away by that. Most people think their life is too busy and too full to do anything else. Yet others are finding ways to serve strangers without even being asked. How does that happen? Are we those kinds of people?
Instigating Ideas…
1. Verbally recognize someone who is sacrificially helpful.
2. Ask someone for help.
3. Find somewhere useful to insert yourself.
4. Avoid unloading a box truck if you can…
Volunteering tends to happen in a structured environment. We sign up to volunteer for many different kinds of services through a variety of organizations. It’s usually pre-determined and organized. We do it around holidays. We do it with our kids’ schools. We do it in church. We do it with non-profits. The process of showing up, putting in some hours, then going home is standard.
ROGUE VOLUNTEERS
What if we were rogue volunteers though? Individuals out and about in society who just randomly inserted ourselves into other people’s work and effort? More accurately, other people’s problems and challenges? I mean, like, what if we did that on purpose? Left our comfort to randomly look for others to help?
It feels a little bit, super hero’ish when I write it. Though, trust me, it felt like heroes showed up for me last Saturday and Sunday. They definitely could have been wearing RV symbols on their chest.
I would love to hear about any instances you were an RV or an RV served you!
I hope this week you keep your eyes open for opportunities to be of service. And if you need help, please ask someone!