Acts of Kindness

I recently had car troubles (yes I drive a car but it is green...in colour - and good on gas) with my electrical system. To save money and keep things simple, I have tried to learn and do most of the changes myself, so I'm pretty aware of what is wrong. I've tried to look after my car and it's an excellent car for it's age - a 95 Toyota Tercel.

When the car first "acted up" it wouldn't start, though I got it going. The first time I needed a boost, I received resistance but he came over and let me jump the car. The process only takes 3 minutes to hook up the cables, which I provided. It was quick and painless. The next time, I wasn't so fortunate, after an hour in a busy side street location, I opened the hood and put the cables in view to show that I needed a jump. I asked people, they gave all sorts of excuses like they have an old car, which doesn't effect the ability to boost. Hundreds, quite literally, drove by. Finally a good samaritan got me started. The third time, I wasn't so lucky, during rush hour and I actually had a few people make comments and gestures, such as "nice car buddy" to rub salt in the wound. Fortunately, I had a friend who was on his way to visit me and he is very good with cars, so he got me started and we discussed the options to eliminate the problem.

My observations of the people in the city of Toronto is that they are in self focused. If the situation was reversed, they would want empathy and some help. When I swerved to miss a moose this summer and ended up sideways in the ditch, every car in northern Ontario stopped to see if I was okay and if I needed help....kudos. As for you city folks...and I am from Toronto, I think we can do better. Remember to take the time helping someone, even with a random act of kindness, it will make their day and brighten yours. Take time to change the social footprint that we are all a part of.