As I was driving out of Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport I saw a broken down car on the hard shoulder of the slip road that leads onto the M25. The vehicle was displaying foreign registration plates and I could see the driver frantically trying to wave passing traffic down … he quite obviously needed help.
I drove past him justifying to myself that I couldn’t help him … I’m not a mechanic and I don’t speak any languages! Within seconds I began to think, ‘what if that was me?' … 'wouldn’t I want someone to stop and help?’ I immediately pulled over onto the hard shoulder and backed the car up to where the gentleman stood.
He came to my car window and in broken English asked if I spoke French or German. He then tried to explain his predicament … I didn’t understand a word he said. I asked the man if he needed petrol … he didn’t understand a word I said.
He then became very agitated and emotional. He opened his wallet to show me he had no money and pointed to a visa card and repeatedly said, “block, block”. He took some heavy gold rings off his fingers and put them on my passenger seat and said, “take, take” and again showed me his empty wallet and began to cry.
I picked up the rings and put them back into his trembling hands. I then took some cash out of my wallet and handed it to the man saying, “Is this enough?” He grabbed my hand and placed it on his forehead in a gesture of gratitude and retuned to his vehicle.
I’m not sure what was wrong with his car or why he needed the money. But what I did know he was so desperate that he was willing to give me all he had for a little bit of cash … I’m glad I went back.
This weeks ‘pick-a-mix’ of kind acts also included:
3 x Gave cash to a charity
1 x Gave cash to a stranded motorist
2 x Voluntary work as a mediation consultant
2 x Voluntary work at the local medical centre
3 x Wrote a letter of appreciation to someone1 x Voluntary work for Ipsos Access Panels
2 x Put neighbours bin back after the bin men had been
1 x Struck up a cheery conversation with a stranger
1 x Held the door open for someone
3 x Treated a friend to dinner
1 x Proactively ‘gave-way’ to a pedestrian
21 x Proactively ‘gave-way’ to another driver
Sub total: 41
Running total: 547Target: 3000+ in 12months
Commenced 30th November 2011
Motivation for ‘’My Ten-a-day’
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”
The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference for that one.”
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