“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” ~Thornton Wilder
The sun is shinning, the air is warm and it’s an all around beautiful day here in Sarasota, Florida. This is what a friend of mine was thinking when he decided to head over to one of the area beaches today but things didn’t go as expected, sometimes things go wrong.
The Breakdown
Halfway to the beach on a busy road, near an equally busy intersection is where his car decided it was going to take a nice nap and just shut down. He couldn’t start it or move it and he couldn’t even put the hood up which is the universal sign of “help me” because the rod that holds up the hood broke months ago.
He immediately phoned me so I rushed out the door to see how I could help. We tried to jump start the car but to no avail, it didn’t want a jump. We were so screwed because we were on the inside lane of busy, busy traffic…..yup, sometimes things go wrong.
The White Pickup Truck
When someone is having car trouble, it is generally true that they would rather be anywhere else than where they are. Yet some people seem to think we’re there to ruin their day on purpose. A woman drove by in a white pickup truck and yelled, “HURRY UP!” Without a beat, my friend returned a colorful response of profanity in her general direction and I just wondered where people keep their compassion these days. Sorry lady….when things go wrong….
The Policeman
A Sarasota Policeman pulled up behind us and turned on his lights, got out of his car and asked if we were okay. My friend thanked him for stopping to help him and the officer replied, “I’m here to serve.” He didn’t get annoyed, he didn’t seem put out, he genuinely appeared to want to be of some help.
The officer quickly stopped all traffic in this major intersection and allowed me to drive my car to safety and then push the broken car to a side street. He stayed with us and tried to get the car started but it was not working. He gave us the number of a tow service he recommended, we thanked him, and he had to go. Thank you officer, whoever you are!
We found compassion in the Sarasota Policeman that was suppressed with the woman in the white truck!
Life Sucks
My friend had to wait about an hour for the tow truck and began to see everything that went wrong. This is where my real help came in and I made him realize what went right.
What Went Right?
My friend said the day was so nice and he didn’t get to go to the beach. I said you’re in Florida, most days are very nice and you will have plenty of chances to go to the beach, and you could be waiting for a tow in icy cold, upstate New York!
He was depressed about the car being broke. I said be grateful it happened today and not on your way to work. He works for an airline and when you miss work, you miss an entire trip and a lot of money!
Take A Good Look
These things happen to all of us so before you react, take a good look because there is always a good side. You will be far happier to find the good in it and then be grateful for it.
Tags: bright side, human interest, inspiration, policeman, positive thinking, Sarasota, silver lining, Thornton Wilder quote
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