By Staff
If you had a stop watch, you could probably time a simple act of kindness as taking anywhere from two seconds to a two minutes.
After visiting a relative at McMillan Hospital this week, I went to my vehicle and prepared to leave. A gentleman approached my vehicle and told me he had a problem.
It seems he was driving his wife's vehicle and was not used to the operation of it and he couldn't seem to get it cranked. He asked if I could help.
Here is where the value of time is revealed. I was heading to work and didn't need to be late. I didn't really have the time to help him. It was getting a little warm out and this gentleman was frustrated which makes the heat even worse to bear. He was in a hurry to get out of the heat.
I got out of my van and walked the 20 feet across the lot to his vehicle. I wiggled the ignition key and tried to give it a start. Nothing. The key wouldn't even turn. Seeing that this was the only key on the ring that would be for a vehicle ignition, I took the key out of the switch, turned it over, re-inserted it and gave it a turn. The engine hummed to life, and the smile of the gentlemen's face proved to me how valuable time can be.
I explained that I had only turned over the key and expressed my wonder at how in the world that worked. He was thankful and it seemed much cooler in that hot, asphalt parking lot.
I was glad I was able to get the vehicle going for the gentlemen even if I was amazed that it had happened. It didn't take long to make the walk to his vehicle, do my thing, and walk back to my vehicle. The whole incident probably covered less than three minutes and only a drop or two of sweat.
When I did make it to work, my boss didn't hand me a pink slip so I was OK there. The gentleman was smiling as he drove away in his wife's vehicle with the air conditioner keeping him cool.
So the value of your time and a simple act of kindness can be summed up in one word: Priceless.
Lisa Tindell is a news reporter for The Brewton Standard. She can be reached at 867-4876 or by e-mail at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com.