You know that song from Sesame Street?...
It was just past 11:30 p.m. and all the parking spots were taken or under significant snow. A snow emergency was in effect so that meant that parking on the street down by the reservoir was not an option and it was going to be that much harder to find a spot. I finally had pulled my truck up to a space that seemed like might just be big enough for me. I got out looked at it: I could probably make it. The question I had to figure out now was: Was that lumpy 3 inches of snow shovellable? or was it ice that I was just going to get stuck in? At that moment, a man who appeared to be just shoveling up the last of a sidewalk way stopped and realized what I was doing.
"I don't think it's gonna work," he said.
"I don't know. I think I can manage it."
"I'd help you out but I just put my snow blower away." He pointed down the block to a white van.
"Oh, no. I got this. I can totally do it."
"Ok...." he paused. "Just give me a moment and I'll help you out."
I got out my shovel and started in on creating a parking space for my little green pickup truck. Yup. This was going to take a while, and my wrists were starting to cramp up (what!?) so much for toughness. But I shoveled on. Determined.
The man walked down the block, opened up the back of his truck, pulled down a ramp, and dragged his giant snow machine back up the hill to the spot, pulling the chain and starting it up like a winter lawn mower. And then he proceeded to save me hours of work and sweat, while that miracle of modernity worked its wonder. I wanted to hug him. Instead, I asked him his name, thanked him profusely, using his name, and walked away touched at his generosity so late on that cold winter night.
When I woke up the next day I was still warmed by that interaction, and wanted to tell everyone about it. But wished I knew more about him. Who was he? I had already forgotten his name, was it Marcel? Martinelli? Mauricio? damn. Why was he out so late? What was his life like? What amazing things did he know? What was his story? Thinking about how nice it was that my neighbor did that for me, I was reminded of other interactions with nice stranger-neighbors.
In a city it can be startling easy to keep your head down and brush past amazing stories and people. And everyone has one, a story.
Aren't you curious sometimes?
I am.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”