Day 6 - 338 -- Reliant on the Kindness of Strangers

While getting ready to leave the house this morning, I found the limbic system had cunningly taken hold when I looked in the other direction for a moment. Trying to regain control by the logical thought processes I prefer, I found myself yelling something at the air. Then I laughed, for the negative emotion had been identified and it wasn't just the anger that the limbic crew hoped I'd grab hold of. Once I had a handle on that, I could begin to deal with the root of that outburst. It took most of the day, just working away at it while going about my business. Lunch with friends brought me to a happy place. After a few errands, I drove up to the grocery store. On the way out of the parking lot onto the main road, the muffler assembly chose to finally drop away from the front end but remain firmly in place at the back end. I pulled off the road into a gas bar where I planned to call CAA. As I got out of the car, a man walked over to me and asked if I planned to drive far like that. He then looked under the car where the pipe was clearly hanging. I asked if he had any wire to reattach it to something so I could get through the 5 minute drive home. He checked the huge trailer he was hauling, found twine and tied it up. I tearfully thanked him for being so kind. He said humanity had to take care of each other or what kind of world would it be. More tears. I then realized the keys were inside the car and the doors were locked <sigh>. I went around to the other side of the car, called the dealership just down the road and made arrangements for them to bring me a door key. While standing there behind the car, I hid a bit and cried -- tears of gratitude, not frustration anger. That surprised me. The helpful man had walked back over to assure me I could drive the car to the house. I explained the key issue and he said I definitely had had a bad day and then offered to stay with me until the new key arrived. I thanked him but said I'd be fine and off he drove. Another man had been part of earlier conversations and he, too, stopped to chat a bit before leaving -- just to make sure I was OK. When the mechanic from the dealership arrived, he, too, was so kind. I made a point of thanking each of these people and letting them know how much I appreciated their kindnesses.

Needless to say, the ride home was a bit louder than usual <smile>. I had to go for a walk to deal with the adrenaline and  tenseness that had settled in on the drive home. I walked up to the mall, did a bit of shopping for gifts that need to get into the mail, and walked home. A shower helped the muscles relax a bit more. Reflecting on the day showed me what challenge I was facing early in the day and provided hope in humanity from the caring of strangers. Not bad for a Thursday, eh?

I instantly heard the song chosen for today when the first man offered to help. Guardian angels were at work for me today. The story at the beginning is a bit schmaltzy, but the lyrics say what I felt today. Enjoy!

Angels Among Us -- Alabama