Some of you know that I fell on some ice a couple of weeks ago while on my morning walk. I bonked my head and cut my hand up, and a very nice gentleman named Doug invited me into his house, helped me clean my hand, and drove me home. Above and beyond.

Today, about 10 minutes into my walk, a woman was waving to me from the parking lot of the apartments that I walk by. Her wave had a clear ‘can you help me’ vs ‘have a nice morning’ vibe, so I took off my earbud. In a slightly frantic voice, she explained that she had locked her keys in her car while it was running, could I help her? With my recent need for help from a stranger on the street, I felt I couldn’t walk on by.

I had my phone, so I asked if I could call someone, but she’s in town working on her novel at some writer’s workshop, and didn’t know any numbers by heart (do we depend on those cell phones or what?). I asked if she had AAA and she did not, but said she could pay for someone if I could get them there. I called AAA and explained what we needed, and with a couple of phone transfers, she was able to speak to a service that would come and get her into her car.

Once she knew that they were on there way, Rachel said that she was fine and that I didn’t need to wait with her. She seemed to have calmed down, although she was not sure how the car locked itself while running. So Rachel, good luck with the novel, and pay it forward.