Of mean people, good Samaritans, and daily encounters….
By Beth Borrego 4/10/10
Every day we venture out into the world not knowing what the day will bring to us. We plow through our days mostly in a hurry, mostly without stopping to pause and consider how our actions affect others. On those days we may not always remember to carry with us what is good and what is right. Oh, we hope that we do, and we certainly think that we will if the situation presents itself, but it is far easier to remain silent in a world of crackpots and mean people who suck. Today, I met a mean person.
I was out working, doing estimates and had stopped for a break in a very good neighborhood. As I walked across the parking lot to my car, I noticed a car backing out of a space. I stopped and stepped between two cars to wait, safe and out of harms way, or so I thought. The Land Rover came flying out of its space and smacked the large gray minivan parked perfectly in a row of cars behind it. The van rocked hard back and forth, back and forth, its owner nowhere in sight. As I stood there on this beautiful day and watched it happen, I realized that if I did not speak up, the driver would take off as the Land rover was already moving forward. I found my voice. ‘Hey you, stop! You just hit that car. You need to leave your information’ I cried out loudly. There were two people in the Land Rover. A short woman who was the driver, and a very tall man, about 6’4” who was her husband and who, was as mean as a snake. Oh yes, t was a very busy day in the parking lot.
He absolutely flew out of his Land Rover, screaming as he came toward me. “What the hell is your problem! This is your entire fault!” In shock and disbelief I rounded on him and replied that I didn’t see how it was my fault that they hit a parked car. “Your car is sticking out too far! You didn’t park right! This is your fault!” I gently explained as he screamed in my face that it was not my car, and that I was just being a Good Samaritan, just letting them know they hit the car and needed to leave their information for the owner. “Just shut up you *****! Nobody else saw it!” he screamed even more loudly, his face filled with rage.
Then the most amazing thing happened…Three distinct voices erupted as a crowd gathered. “I saw it too!” “I’m a witness!” “I saw it, and I’ll testify!” and then…..”And you owe her an apology! Don’t you talk to her like that! She did the right thing!” These three men, one elderly, one middle age, one slightly younger, all stepped up to defend me, to get between the angry man and myself, to make sure I was safe and justice was done for the owner of the car. I was shaking. I went to my car and got a pen and paper, to take the tag down. While I was gone the Land Rover took off. I felt so defeated, but then, one of my fellow Samaritans said “I stored the tag in my cell phone” he said and as he handed me his business card, I learned he was a lawyer.
Do mean people really always suck? Today, what I witnessed was that sometimes the mean people in the world remind us that it is better to be strong, to be good, and to live a wholesome and caring life regardless of the vile nasty abusive ways others choose to live. Today, the good guys won. We stood together, and allowed ourselves to care for the property of another who none of us knew, but that all of us realized were wronged. We helped each other, we protected one another, and when the owner of the mini van returned, she had won because we simply didn’t allow the mean people to continue to suck. Sometimes, to peacefully coexist we have to stand up together and be good together.
But the Land Rover did come back. As we stood there and speculated, about to call in the hit and run, it showed up and the woman driving got out, her husband even angrier than ever, and looking for someone to punch. She calmly explained that she wanted to leave her info. Her husband shouted over her. “This is all your fault! You are a busy body and *****. Get the hell out of here you goddamn *****! What are you going to do, call the police?” To which I calmly said ‘if I have to, yeah I will’. My three guardians were around me. Then another voice, this time from another woman coming to the lot. She asked me “should I call the police?” I don’t know where my sense of calm came from, I was a nervous wreck, but I said no it would be ok. The middle aged guardian spoke to the angry giant “hey, what are you going to do? Hit her?” he asked “yeah I should, I might!” the angry giant exclaimed. “You’re not going to lay one finger on this nice lady, if you want to take a shot it will have to be at me!” then, “and me! ”And “me too!”
We all tried to tell the owner of the car that the mini van had been hit. One of my self appointed guardians decided it was time to get me out of the parking lot. “You need to leave here while he’s distracted and he doesn’t see you go” he said “and I am not leaving until you are safe. You did the right thing today. I’ll make sure you get out of the lot.” And, he did. I left knowing that it is ok to find your voice, and to use your voice. I was reminded of why I believe that angels are all around us and that above all, we are a world filled with people who are capable of not just bad things, but of good things too. As I went through the rest of my day doing estimates, I considered the magnitude of one single mean action, and how it brought so many together to do one good deed, for someone that none of us had ever seen or met.
Of mean people, good Samaritans, and daily encounters….
By Beth Borrego 4/10/10
Every day we venture out into the world not knowing what the day will bring to us. We plow through our days mostly in a hurry, mostly without stopping to pause and consider how our actions affect others. On those days we may not always remember to carry with us what is good and what is right. Oh, we hope that we do, and we certainly think that we will if the situation presents itself, but it is far easier to remain silent in a world of crackpots and mean people who suck. Today, I met a mean person.
I was out working, doing estimates and had stopped for a break in a very good neighborhood. As I walked across the parking lot to my car, I noticed a car backing out of a space. I stopped and stepped between two cars to wait, safe and out of harms way, or so I thought. The Land Rover came flying out of its space and smacked the large gray minivan parked perfectly in a row of cars behind it. The van rocked hard back and forth, back and forth, its owner nowhere in sight. As I stood there on this beautiful day and watched it happen, I realized that if I did not speak up, the driver would take off as the Land rover was already moving forward. I found my voice. ‘Hey you, stop! You just hit that car. You need to leave your information’ I cried out loudly. There were two people in the Land Rover. A short woman who was the driver, and a very tall man, about 6’4” who was her husband and who, was as mean as a snake. Oh yes, t was a very busy day in the parking lot.
He absolutely flew out of his Land Rover, screaming as he came toward me. “What the hell is your problem! This is your entire fault!” In shock and disbelief I rounded on him and replied that I didn’t see how it was my fault that they hit a parked car. “Your car is sticking out too far! You didn’t park right! This is your fault!” I gently explained as he screamed in my face that it was not my car, and that I was just being a Good Samaritan, just letting them know they hit the car and needed to leave their information for the owner. “Just shut up you *****! Nobody else saw it!” he screamed even more loudly, his face filled with rage.
Then the most amazing thing happened…Three distinct voices erupted as a crowd gathered. “I saw it too!” “I’m a witness!” “I saw it, and I’ll testify!” and then…..”And you owe her an apology! Don’t you talk to her like that! She did the right thing!” These three men, one elderly, one middle age, one slightly younger, all stepped up to defend me, to get between the angry man and myself, to make sure I was safe and justice was done for the owner of the car. I was shaking. I went to my car and got a pen and paper, to take the tag down. While I was gone the Land Rover took off. I felt so defeated, but then, one of my fellow Samaritans said “I stored the tag in my cell phone” he said and as he handed me his business card, I learned he was a lawyer.
Do mean people really always suck? Today, what I witnessed was that sometimes the mean people in the world remind us that it is better to be strong, to be good, and to live a wholesome and caring life regardless of the vile nasty abusive ways others choose to live. Today, the good guys won. We stood together, and allowed ourselves to care for the property of another who none of us knew, but that all of us realized were wronged. We helped each other, we protected one another, and when the owner of the mini van returned, she had won because we simply didn’t allow the mean people to continue to suck. Sometimes, to peacefully coexist we have to stand up together and be good together.
But the Land Rover did come back. As we stood there and speculated, about to call in the hit and run, it showed up and the woman driving got out, her husband even angrier than ever, and looking for someone to punch. She calmly explained that she wanted to leave her info. Her husband shouted over her. “This is all your fault! You are a busy body and *****. Get the hell out of here you goddamn *****! What are you going to do, call the police?” To which I calmly said ‘if I have to, yeah I will’. My three guardians were around me. Then another voice, this time from another woman coming to the lot. She asked me “should I call the police?” I don’t know where my sense of calm came from, I was a nervous wreck, but I said no it would be ok. The middle aged guardian spoke to the angry giant “hey, what are you going to do? Hit her?” he asked “yeah I should, I might!” the angry giant exclaimed. “You’re not going to lay one finger on this nice lady, if you want to take a shot it will have to be at me!” then, “and me! ”And “me too!”
We all tried to tell the owner of the car that the mini van had been hit. One of my self appointed guardians decided it was time to get me out of the parking lot. “You need to leave here while he’s distracted and he doesn’t see you go” he said “and I am not leaving until you are safe. You did the right thing today. I’ll make sure you get out of the lot.” And, he did. I left knowing that it is ok to find your voice, and to use your voice. I was reminded of why I believe that angels are all around us and that above all, we are a world filled with people who are capable of not just bad things, but of good things too. As I went through the rest of my day doing estimates, I considered the magnitude of one single mean action, and how it brought so many together to do one good deed, for someone that none of us had ever seen or met.
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