We've all held the door for someone or help someone pick up their change when they dropped it, but how many of us have ever really helped out a stranger? These gestures I mentioned above are nice but they are really of very little inconvenience when you think about it.
A few days ago on my ride I was the recipient of something I have never really experienced before. The kindness of a stranger...
While on a very long ride I was lost in Chambéy and I saw a woman standing by her car on the side of the road that looked like she needed help. I was thinking this should be interesting, my French sucks. I rolled up to her with her son in the car. She was motioning that I couldn't go this way, thinking back it was a freeway entrance, for lack of a better word. I pointed to a map and said Grenoble, then to my bike and said velo. She motioned to her car like she was going to give me a ride. I thought why not. It was late in the day, starting to rain and I was bonking for the second time. She got into her car then I realized she meant that she would show me how to get there by following her.
She took off and I started motor pacing behind her at 20mph. It hurt, but it was better then being lost. I was thinking I really hope she's not some nut that is just going to get me lost or worse. I followed her for over half an hour while she drove all over this city then through these vineyards and farmland. She even stopped and waited for me because I popped. Long story short I got back on the road and 2 hours later made it back to Grenoble.
The point of this isn't that I had a tough day in the saddle it's that a complete stranger took real time out of their day to help me, a foreigner, a stranger. I had to ask myself while this was all happening have I ever really taken time out of my day to ever really help someone, I mean really help them? I owe karma in a big way! I was in really bad shape, I was alone in a foreign country, I didn't speak the language and was 30 miles from my only refuge, my hotel room.
When was the last time you really helped someone? Something to think about...
-nate
-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Well said.
ReplyDeleteToday's Quote: If you worried about falling off the bike, you’d never get on ~ Lance Armstrong
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible woman, glad you made it back. Roxy
It is indeed, one of those pass it forward kind of deeds...and no doubt you will. I'm with you ...in heart always mom
ReplyDelete