Thank God for the kindness of strangers.Saturday, I locked myself out of my home. I went into the garage to dutifully deposit some recyclables in their requisite over-sized bins, and the door to the house wouldn’t open when I was done. This was shortly before 8 a.m.I didn’t know what to do. Because of the colder weather, all the windows were closed in the home, except one: my pretend office on the second floor. I am not young, and knew I couldn’t climb to the top of the house.So I went to my neighour and asked for assistance in getting someone to climb through the open window. He was of no help. I have known the man for more than a decade and seen his family enjoy triumph and suffer tragedy. His dog and cats walk all over my lawn, eat my catnip and poop on my grass.But he said he could do nothing to help me.I spotted a man who lives across the street and sought help from him. He said he knew a family up the road who have teenagers who could possibly lend a hand.“Give me a few minutes,” he said.I went back to my garage, sitting in an old uninsured car, waiting for help to arrive. Help never came.So I went to a home two doors down the street. A man who I have spoken with in the past and had in my home lives there. No answer.So I knocked on the door of my other neighbour; the home of a young couple who moved in about a month ago. I had only spoken with them once, when they moved in.Knock. Knock. There’s an answer.“I am locked out of my house. I need help in getting to an open window on the second floor so I can get back in,” I said.“Give me a minute. I need to go to the bathroom,” she said.I waited outside on the doorstep, thinking this was going to be another disappointment.A few minutes later, she emerges in grey sweatpants and a grey top, and says she’s ready to help.We walk the short distance to my house. I warn her not to take any risks, and to think about her safety.I have positioned an old aluminum ladder from my garage, in hopes someone can climb up and go into the house, open the front door, and let me in.There may have been a moment of hesitation, but she quickly climbed the short ladder, pulled herself up onto the shingles, and navigated a stretch of roof that isn’t much more than a foot wide. She pulled the screen off the open window, climbed in the small space, went downstairs, and let me in.She did it with such confidence and care, that I am in awe.Who would show such kindness, when others would exhibit indifference? Sometimes, it seems, our best allies are those we don’t know; not the people we imagined we do know.It’s a learning lesson for me. Knock three times and hope somebody helps you.We should all be as generous as my wonderful neighbour. As shared in the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated.I bought a bottle of wine for my saviour and wrote a note of thanks. I dropped it off at the couple’s door and ringed the doorbell. She answered. I said I was writing an opinion piece for the Western Standard and sought her permission.“What was she thinking when she scrambled up that shaky ladder and carefully chose her path along the narrow part of the roof?”“I was a bit nervous,” she said.This is a simple story. Everyone experiences life’s trials and tribulation. We’ve all been wronged and righted.I’ve been knocked down by a car in a busy intersection in Cairo and robbed in Ghana.Thank God for the kindness of strangers.
Thank God for the kindness of strangers.Saturday, I locked myself out of my home. I went into the garage to dutifully deposit some recyclables in their requisite over-sized bins, and the door to the house wouldn’t open when I was done. This was shortly before 8 a.m.I didn’t know what to do. Because of the colder weather, all the windows were closed in the home, except one: my pretend office on the second floor. I am not young, and knew I couldn’t climb to the top of the house.So I went to my neighour and asked for assistance in getting someone to climb through the open window. He was of no help. I have known the man for more than a decade and seen his family enjoy triumph and suffer tragedy. His dog and cats walk all over my lawn, eat my catnip and poop on my grass.But he said he could do nothing to help me.I spotted a man who lives across the street and sought help from him. He said he knew a family up the road who have teenagers who could possibly lend a hand.“Give me a few minutes,” he said.I went back to my garage, sitting in an old uninsured car, waiting for help to arrive. Help never came.So I went to a home two doors down the street. A man who I have spoken with in the past and had in my home lives there. No answer.So I knocked on the door of my other neighbour; the home of a young couple who moved in about a month ago. I had only spoken with them once, when they moved in.Knock. Knock. There’s an answer.“I am locked out of my house. I need help in getting to an open window on the second floor so I can get back in,” I said.“Give me a minute. I need to go to the bathroom,” she said.I waited outside on the doorstep, thinking this was going to be another disappointment.A few minutes later, she emerges in grey sweatpants and a grey top, and says she’s ready to help.We walk the short distance to my house. I warn her not to take any risks, and to think about her safety.I have positioned an old aluminum ladder from my garage, in hopes someone can climb up and go into the house, open the front door, and let me in.There may have been a moment of hesitation, but she quickly climbed the short ladder, pulled herself up onto the shingles, and navigated a stretch of roof that isn’t much more than a foot wide. She pulled the screen off the open window, climbed in the small space, went downstairs, and let me in.She did it with such confidence and care, that I am in awe.Who would show such kindness, when others would exhibit indifference? Sometimes, it seems, our best allies are those we don’t know; not the people we imagined we do know.It’s a learning lesson for me. Knock three times and hope somebody helps you.We should all be as generous as my wonderful neighbour. As shared in the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated.I bought a bottle of wine for my saviour and wrote a note of thanks. I dropped it off at the couple’s door and ringed the doorbell. She answered. I said I was writing an opinion piece for the Western Standard and sought her permission.“What was she thinking when she scrambled up that shaky ladder and carefully chose her path along the narrow part of the roof?”“I was a bit nervous,” she said.This is a simple story. Everyone experiences life’s trials and tribulation. We’ve all been wronged and righted.I’ve been knocked down by a car in a busy intersection in Cairo and robbed in Ghana.Thank God for the kindness of strangers.
