Empathy

Yesterday morning in our local snow storm, when I went out early to brave the roads to pick up Mister and Lamb, I discovered a driver with a limo company stranded in my parking lot. He missed the right driveway and was trying to turn around to pick up a customer for an airport run. Efforts to push him into motion were rewarded with much sideways movement but no progress. That's what rear wheel drive and near-treadless tires will get you, I guess. I retreated to my home to grab my shovel to try and dig to dry pavement, but when I returned, the driver's day had gotten worse--he locked himself out of his running car with his phone inside the car.

So I let him use my phone to call his company for help and they said a tow truck was on the way. Luckily, it wasn't blistering cold and he had winter gear on, so I told him I'd be back soon. I honestly didn't think a tow truck would arrive that morning for quite some time.

When I got back 45 minutes later he was still under the parking structure, starting to feel the cold. So I told him to come on in where he could use my phone and warm up. I made coffee, too. he was very thankful and shocked that the plowing company that came to my complex had a guy who just let him use his phone to double check about help while the guy continued plowing.

We ended up spending a good hour and a half in my kitchen drinking coffee and talking about his work and the economy and the weather and whatnot. He was having a bad day, no doubt. Even after the tow truck finally arrived to open his car up and make sure he could drive out under his own power.

So the man was very touched when Lamb came in to the kitchen and gave him a small bracelet she'd just made for him with a crafts kit she has to cheer him up.

That was so sweet. My little girl is an award-winning budding scientist, artist, and baker--plus she has a good heart. So notice to any young man who, sometime after a decade or so from now, comes a calling on that older version of Lamb: you are not worthy of her and you'd best prove to me that you can even hope to deserve such a wonderful lass. You'll recognize me. I'll be the one cleaning and maintaining my carbine while whistling the Psycho Dad theme from Married With Children.