How a Stranger Restored My Faith in Humanity

I am 36 years old and an attorney, to say that I’m a bit jaded would be an understatement. Hell, anyone who made it through the last year probably didn’t come out of it without their outlook on life a little tarnished. Based on my professional and personal experiences, I have become very cynical regarding other people’s motivations. However, I recently had an experience that thawed a portion of my frozen heart.

Like most of the country, my rural area was hammered by the recent winter storms that dumped over a foot of snow on us. This, coupled with the inch of ice that preceded it, made the country roads to and from my house treacherous. Thankfully, I have the ability to work from home, so did not have to leave for a couple days. However, the time came when I had to venture forth and get some staples for my family from the store. While I slipped and slid on the way, I made it in one piece. However, my return home was a different story.

As I said, I live in a pretty rural area and my road is not very wide. Less than one mile from my house, a car was coming towards me and I moved over to give it more room. In doing so, I lost control of my car and drove into a snow bank. Stepping out, I realized my car was mere inches from falling nose first into a creek and my back tire wasn’t touching the ground. As I stood on the side of the icy road wondering what to do next, an SUV pulled over and a man jumped out.

I had never met this man, Lyle, before, though apparently he is my neighbor. He asked if I could use some help which I gratefully accepted. He then drove to his house to retrieve a rope, and, upon returning, crawled under my car on the snow-covered road and hitched my car to his SUV. He then pulled me out of the snow bank. We talked briefly and after thanking him profusely, I was once again on my way.

However, my terrible luck and insufficient vehicle were not done with me yet. My road is not only narrow, but also hilly. As I was headed up one of the bigger hills towards my house, my little car didn’t have quite the oomph it needed and began sliding back down the hill. Panicking, I quickly got my vehicle back under control and decided my only option was to turn around and take a much longer, but less hilly back way to my house. As I was trying to turn my car around, Lyle pulled up again.

I explained my issue and what I planned to do to Lyle, and instead he once again crawled under my car, hooked it up, and towed me up the next two hills. After we got to the top of the second hill, Lyle offered to drive my car the rest of the way to my house and let me drive his SUV so I could drive with four-wheel drive.

At this point, I was feeling both gratitude, but also embarrassment. I like to think of myself as a strong, independent woman, but these icy roads had made me feel helpless. I have also never had to rely on the kindness of a stranger. As we approached my driveway, I cringed. My house sits on top of a hill, a long steep driveway leading up to it. Lyle didn’t hesitate. He jumped out of my car, pulled his SUV in front of it, and for the third time that day, crawled under my car to hook it up and towed it up my driveway. My car and I were finally home.

After unhooking my car (again), I was nearly speechless. I told Lyle I didn’t know how to thank him for spending over an hour of his time with me, ensuring I made it home. When I asked for his address so I could stop by and drop off a case of beer, he scoffed and told me I didn’t owe him anything. After I thanked him several more times, he smiled and took off.

Lyle didn’t have to stop and help me get my car out of that snow bank; he could have let me call a tow company. He didn’t have to pull my car up two hills; he could have let me drive the long way home and take my chance with the snowy roads. He didn’t have to drive my car all the way home and make sure I made it safe; he could have sent me on my way after we got past the hills. And he certainly didn’t have to tow me up my own driveway, heaven knows he’d already done enough. But he did. And he didn’t ask for a thing in return. He did good recklessly and it is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life.