There’s nothing worse than that sinking feeling you get when you realize you’re miles from home and there’s no way to get your car to work.
That’s exactly what happened to me yesterday.
After an all-day meeting at International Plaza, I sunk my hand into my purse to find my keys. They were there, all right, but the one key I needed to open the car door and start the ignition had slipped off the ring – along with the remote entry fob.
Just my luck!
I was standing there in front of many of my coworkers as red-faced as I could possibly be. Trying to be upbeat, I smiled and resigned myself to calling my husband in Land O’ Lakes. After all, he could drive down and give me his spare key. (It would just take a while for him to load up the kids and battle rush-hour traffic from home to the South Tampa mall).
On a lark, I walked over to my car to at least put my laptop in the trunk while I had to wait. (That key was still, thankfully, on the ring.) When I did, I noticed a piece of paper placed under the windshield wiper.
It was such a surprise to discover that the paper was a note from a Good Samaritan – not an advertisement like I had expected. Someone had found my key and left it at the valet stand. She even left her number on the note in case I had a problem retrieving the key.
When I called Alison last night to say thanks, she simply said: “Just pay it forward.”
I do believe I will.
I think I’ll start by making a nice donation to the in Alison’s honor. And from here on out, I will keep my eyes open for the “little things” I can do to make someone else’s day just a little bit bright – exactly like Alison did. She not only saved my family the hassle of retrieving me, but she likely spared us from having the car stolen by someone who might not have been as kind if they found a stray ignition key sitting in a parking lot.
Do you have a story about how a small act of kindness made your day brighter? Let us know about it in the comments section.
