Good deeds never go unnoticed
I was always raised in such a way as to help others in need. I’ve been raising my kids to have the same beliefs. I firmly believe that if we help others, they’ll help others and the chain continues. It may not always continue, but I am an optimist and do believe some people continue the chain of goodness. Maybe that’s why I write about safe driving – to help those who may need that extra “push” to become a safer driver. Well, it happened again. I was in the position to help other person, a complete stranger, so I did. Would you?
While I was recently opening up a new classroom location for Young Drivers of Canada someone had come to my door and asked if I had booster cables. As a driving instructor it would have been wrong to not be prepared so I gladly offered to help boost the dead battery of her vehicle. I also thought it would be a good opportunity to teach someone a thing or two about boosting a dead battery. She didn’t have booster cables and seemed unsure of what to do. She was visiting a friend and said if it would be okay if she came back a couple of hours later. I agreed as I had lots of work to do and there she was, right on time.
While I boosted her vehicle’s dead battery I also showed her how to do it herself, in case she had to in the future. We chatted about how she didn’t have booster cables in her vehicle and how I suggested every vehicle should have then, just in case this happens again. She was very grateful for my help but also proceeded to tell me how when she stopped at a place of business and asked for a glass of water from the wait staff. They just looked at her and continued to sit and chat with each other. What happened to acts of kindness? What was it going to cost them but a few seconds of their time to get the water for her, especially since she said she could see the glasses nearby?
Perhaps with our negative society there aren’t too many people thinking about doing enough good deeds any longer. Perhaps there are too many people who live in the “me, me, me” society. If only they knew they could actually benefit from doing something helpful for someone else.
Here are the pluses for my actions this day; I did a favour for someone else which allowed them to continue on their way. I did something that gave me personal satisfaction. I may have fueled someone else to do a good deed to someone else. Sounds like a win – win – win situation to me. And my boosting episode only took me less than ten minutes to position my vehicle, boost and explain how to boost and then chat. Not a lot of time out of my day, but boy was it worth it – for both of us.
**Have a quick listen to this short episode of the “Speed Bumps” podcast as helping others is discussed further!
I think the saying “No good deed goes unpunished” is apt. Especially in traffic. Let a car in when he’s actually cutting you off and it turns out he’s going to stop and make a left turn, or he won’t get up to anything near the speed limit. Every time I do something nice for someone, or I watch someone around me do something nice, they end up getting screwed up.
I understand how frustrating it can be. Letting a driver in and then having them stop may seem like you’re losing, but look at the long picture. If the traffic light ahead is red, you would have stopped anyway. The length of a trip now may be a few minutes longer, but as in your example, letting someone in because they cut you off isn’t a bad thing. It shows that you didn’t let their mistake affect you or your vehicle. However, your passengers would always appreciate your acts of kindness if it helped them reach their destinations safer as well. Thanks for your comment!
I think it all depends on your frame of mind when you do something kind, helpful or good for someone else. Don’t be negative, even if it backfires on you. Smile and be pleased that YOU had the right frame of mind and good intentions. Let them deal with the repercussions. Perhaps they won’t care, but more than likely, at some point in the future, they’ll need help and that’s when things have a way of coming full circle and kicking them for their past actions. And if not, hey, don’t sweat it. It’s not your worry. You won’t lose an entire month of time helping someone or making a difference in someone’s life. And if you have a negative attitude expecting to always end up on the losing end when all is done, that’s what will most likely happen. Helping others, especially when you can and they have a need, is the only right thing to do! Good deeds are definitely infectious and will most certainly make someone’s day!
Well said Katherine!