I was driving to work, rushed and feeling anxious, pressured to get there. All was going super well, traffic wise, until I merged onto I 95, also known as Route 128 in MA, and BAM my heart beat escalated and my tension increased. All lanes of the highway slowed to a crawl. I despise being late to work.
For those that don’t know Route 128, it is a 4 lane highway, and at one point my named nemesis. I managed to be in the 3rdlane, almost in what should have been the fast lane if we were moving, and I stewed with frustration. I called a co-worker, anxiously reporting that I was stuck in a jam, which they told me they had somehow avoided by mere minutes. Ugh, why me? I was irrationally angry about this jam. I did what I do best when angry, I stuck my heels in and resisted everything. I stayed in my lane, just feeding my anger. I refused, internally and vehemently, to move from the lane even when I noticed everyone in front of me doing it. Oh no, I was going to stay right where I was period.
As my car crept forward and all the cars cleared from my lane, the reason for this whole traffic jam revealed itself. A car was parked… just sitting there without even its hazards on. What? I just couldn’t even and wont repeat the inner dialogue, as its inappropriate. I continued to refuse to merge; creeping up as close as I could get to the car. And then I saw the driver ears.
Yup, you may ask? What the heck? Ears? Well, yes. In this case the ears in question were saggy, with a distinct droop away from the persons head. They looked like ears that belonged to and an elder. I could also tell that those ears were attached to a males head and besides him, barely visibly was another top of head cresting the passengers seat.
My heart twisted. My internal moral compass flared, to stop or not to stop? Be very late for work or continue? My morals won, I could not, in good consciousness drive away from them. With this decision in mine, my anger released, and I pulled right up behind him and parked my car. Then I got out of my car, in the middle of a highway, in the third lane of the highway with cars passing me as cautiously as they could while simultaneously going as fast as they could. It was an interesting experience, I even had several people take the time to roll their windows down and yell obscenities at me.
At the drivers side window, I finally got a complete glimpse of the older couple that sat pertified in their car. I knocked on the drivers window, startling them. The older man, in the drivers seat, rolled (yup, no electric windows there) his window down. The look or relief in his eyes; I still remember it and feel it in my heart. All thought of work, or even my previous, irrational and totally not typical anger for me, gone. Just two humans that needed a helping hand in that moment and I was it. They explained their alternator died, explaining their lack of hazards, while they were on their way to a doctors appointment. They, of course, had no cell phone, no way to call for help. They had been essentially trapped in their car in the middle of a fast highway.
At first I had the brilliant idea that I, a 120 lb female, would muscle the car, single handedly, across the three lanes of heavy traffic. As you can imagine went as well as trying to hold a fart in in yoga… I took the smarter route and called 911 to get the couple some highway assistance. They dispatched people to come help. Then, I offered them the use of my cell to call the doctors and cancel their appointment, and I stayed with them, chatting, until the road crew pulled up. I no longer cared about work and potential consequence.
I honestly don’t remember their names, or even their faces, now. But I remember their relief, their appreciate, their gratitude, and my feelings of compassion and heart felt love. They wanted my information to send me their gratitude’s, but I refused. It didn’t feel right. In that moment I was superwoman, cape flapping in the wind around me, and I didn’t need anything more for the interaction. I got the boost to my soul that it need. I drove off to work, glowing, and felt that glow all day long. Their gift to me. I may have initially reacted to that traffic with villainous thoughts, but I ended up being an unexpected hero, and I felt my own being ignite.
Krysta
New Hampshire
#strangerlove #lovestories #spreadlove @maravilla_love
All Love Letters’ are pristine, posted as they were received. Please forgive any spelling and grammar issues, since the writing was done in the throes of love, and sometimes love doesn’t care about commas or misplaced letters.
