There's an NPR series called My Unsung Hero where people talk about a kindness that has left an impression on them. I am a real sap and sometimes tear up when I read the stories. It has been a real slog here in these United States since round about 2016 and it's looking like we're heading into another tough time and sometimes I read through some of my favorite stories to remind myself that we are all in this together and that kindness still exists.
My Unsung Heroes
It was A Day. It was a lovely summer day. I had been for a run and taken our pretty new dog out for an extra long walk. My husband was on a bike ride. I was just about to shower and eat lunch when I got a text from my husband that he'd been in a bike accident and he needed me to come get him. He had broken his collarbone and ended up in the ER. Well, after he'd been patched up, I realized I was dehydrated and super hungry and was starting to get light-headed. I went out to the nurse's station to ask where the vending machines were and I totally passed out at the desk. By the time we were both discharged from the hospital (FFS), I was exhausted, but not hurt or sick. I got my husband camped on the couch with some water and pain medicine and I took Hannah out for a walk because she'd been in her kennel for a lot of hours.
Well, the stupid badly behaved, sort of mean terriers around the block were loose. Their fence was open. They were running around and I was trying to manage Hannah who clearly thought they were prey and I still had my stupid hospital bracelet on and every time I'd corral one of those dumb dogs into their yard they'd bolt. I was worried they were going to get hit by a car and I just couldn't handle all three dogs at once. I just stood in the middle of the street and yelled "someone help me with these dogs" and two men (no idea who they are - I live ON THIS BLOCK and I've never seen these men since) came out of houses, saw what was going on, and took action. One fixed the fence issue and the other picked the dogs up and threw them into the closed fence.
Honestly, I have no idea what I would have done that day without those kind men.
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Do you have an unsung hero in your life?
Oh gosh, so many. People can be so kind! Of course, can I think of a single example right now? No. But I've been the recipient of many kind gestures from total strangers. This isn't a "stranger" thing, but now that we are on the end of a kind-of-rural-road-but-still-in-the-city, it's interesting to see how everyone helps everyone else with the snow. All the guys on the road, my husband included, have quads with blades, and it's kind of nice to see them all plowing long driveways, the road, the place where the garbage cans go to be picked up, the drives of the widowed ladies down the way. I feel like I'm in Busytown!
ReplyDeleteBack in the late 90s/early 00s, there was a political scientist named Robert Putnam who studied social capital and the ties between people in communities. He argued that cold weather communities had more social capital because of snow removal and helping everyone in times of extreme weather. (It won't come as as surprise to anyone that I have some beefs with Putnam's research, but I always loved this particular hypothesis.) I LOVE how our neighborhood comes together to shovel sidewalks and driveways in the winter, too.
DeletePhew thanks for the save Nicole! I can't think of a specific answer either, but many total strangers have saved me so many times...and I try to be that person in return.
ReplyDeleteI'm telling you, this business of not having a dog makes walking SO BORING. I don't have the drama of dogs getting lose and chasing after my dog, I don't get the ego boost of dogs losing their mind and barking at the hot girl dog...every time I go outside it's so uneventful.
Let me tell you right now, I would not be getting my 24 minutes outside every day in these Arctic temperatures if it weren't for a dog, so there are good and bad points to having a dog in the family!
DeleteWhenever it snows a lot on our street, one gentleman snowblows up and down the sidewalk on both sides of our block. I have no idea who he is. It's a terrifically kind gesture, and it's much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWhat a crummy situation for you to have passed out at the hospital. That must have been scary!
There's a guy who lives in the apartment building across the street who shovels everywhere all winter long. He also let me use his cell phone once when I accidentally locked myself out of the house! He's a wonderful neighbor!!
DeleteOh, passing out in my world is No Big Deal. I have a lot of stories of passing out in silly places. It was just I knew what was wrong already and was trying to fix it!
I love this! I had an odd experience recently. I was in GameStop buying a Switch game for my son's birthday. The man behind me in line commented on the game, and we had a short discussion about my son and how he loves all the Nintendo Mario games. When I went to pay, I was counting out cash (it was around $60) and suddenly the man stepped up, swiped his credit card, and said "I've got this. This game means a lot to me and I want to get it for your son." WHAT? I mean- I'm not sure paying for someone's video game counts as being an "unsung hero" (not like the guys who came to your rescue with the dogs) but it was still an unexpected act of kindness that I keep thinking about. It definitely made my day!
ReplyDeleteIt is those little moments that you think about long after they're over, aren't they? What a strange but sweet thing for that man to do!
DeleteGreat anecdote. Nothing similar springs to my mind at the moment.
ReplyDeleteOh how amazing that they responded to your call for help!
ReplyDeleteMy unsung hero is the pharmacist who helped me when I was newly pregnant, working at a new job and trying to keep my pregnancy under wraps, and so sick with morning sickness... Medication was the only way I was surviving the work day but my insurance wouldn't cover the number of pills my doctor had prescribed. The pharmacist was so kind and so comforting and she worked some sort of magic and I was able to get the proper prescription. I think of her a lot.
I also think all the older women with dogs in my old neighborhood deserve a parade for their enduring patience with and kindness to my kid over the years. She is such a social kid and there were no kids her age in the neighborhood, and these women befriended her and opened their homes and hearts and dog treat bins to her and I will never forget them.
Oh, Suzanne, I've heard you tell that story about the pharmacist before. Have you ever tried to find her and thank her?
DeleteI bet those older women in the neighborhood LOVED having Carla come around and play with their dogs and talk to them! It was probably a kindness on your part to share her social nature with them!
This is a lovely story (well, aside from the ER visits). I'm drawing a blank, though I am forever happy to observe the kindness of strangers at different moments.
ReplyDeleteI have so many of these stories. The guy who let me use his cell phone when I locked myself out of the house, the lady who jumped my car when the battery died, the guys who stopped on a busy highway to change my tire when I had a flat. It just seems like there are nice people out there and I need to regularly remind myself of that!
DeleteI love your story. Sometimes all it takes is asking. My Unsung Hero and Story Corps regularly have me in tears. I have been the recipient of SO MUCH kindness. I feel like it happens every day and frequently from people who have less than I have on many levels. Humans are just amazing.
ReplyDeleteNPR knows exactly how to write a human interest story that will make me cry. I'm not sure if that makes them good at their jobs, makes me a sap, or both!
DeleteYour story is great. I've had a stranger here and there do me a kindness, small ones, but ones that made my journey smoother. Like the Delta ticket counter guy who gave me all three seats to myself because I showed up to check-in first for a red eye flight. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! Interestingly, I do not have a helpful airline worker story - that's like finding a unicorn!
DeleteOh, what a wild story! I can't imagine what I'd do if I was in your place. During my grad school days, I went to school full time and worked at Home Depot full time (flexible hours / days). My shifts were all over the place and leaving after an overnight at 3am one winter, my car was frozen solid. I couldn't get the door open or the key in the door, nor could I get back into the store to get help because it was closed. Luckily, a trucker was parked in the lot overnight and (thankfully wasn't a murderer) came over with a lighter to heat up my key so we could get it in the door! MY HERO! Which also explains why I now carry a lighter even tho I have keyless entry to my car....
ReplyDeleteWell, even with keyless entry, I guess your doors could freeze shut, right? And the lighter could be useful? (Our front door is currently frozen shut. That is all.)
DeleteThat is such a sweet story of strangers helping you, when you really needed it. Smart for you to just holler out for help; not sure I'd have the wherewithal to do so. Other than that, this sounds like a horrible day for you both.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I have many unsung hero's, but I can't think of any at the moment.
You know what? I've been thinking about whether or not it was smart of me or not. Maybe I should have just rang the doorbell at the spaniels' house and had their owners deal with them? I mean, I guess it was just such a nice day and everyone was out in their yards or had their windows open that just yelling for help worked. Not sure it would always work!
DeleteOh man, thank goodness for those guys! I come from a small town / rural area and people are ALWAYS stopping to see if you need help if you are pulled over. A few winters ago, I was in a car with a friend when he slipped on ice going downhill, we spun around a few times and went almost right off the edge of a small overhang. Luckily (1) we hit a tree slightly and were not moving very fast, so the tree blocked us from falling completely off the edge, and (2) I had cell service which is basically a 2% chance in the area we were in. I called AAA but while we waited, for about 45 minutes, 9/10 people who drove by slowed down to see if we were okay or needed help. Sometimes everyone knowing your business is a pain, but small towns really can be great sometimes.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah. There are definite advantages to small towns! (And definite disadvantages!)
DeleteOh, I love these kinds of stories. We definitely need to hear more stories like this because it's so easy to forget these days that there are many, many thoughtful people out there who are willing to drop everything and help a "stranger"...
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think I'm going to start stockpiling these stories for myself because I think 2024 is going to get bumpy.
DeleteI like the unsung heroes when they come on NPR as well. How wonderful that your neighbors came running when needed!
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of heroes who have helped me in the past, I think I'll blog about it. One was a stranger who loaned me money when my car was towed.
It's always those times when life's going wrong that people step up! I can't wait to read the post you write about this.
DeleteWow! I am so glad they were there. They are truly unsung heroes!!! And what a horrible day. Geesh.
ReplyDeleteIt was not my finest moment, although I can laugh about it now.
DeleteWhat a wonderful story and a reminder that we all (or most of us) have a natural inclination toward helping when we see (or hear, in your case!) someone in need. For me, I always think of nurses when I think about unsung heroes. Having witnessed long hospital stays for both my grandparents, I still remember the nurses that watched over them, advocated for them, and made them feel less alone while they were in a strange place.
ReplyDeleteYes, first responders, nurses, and childcare workers are just such crucial parts of our social ecosystem. I don't know how we'd make it work without them! It takes a certain personality, doesn't it?
DeleteKindness goes a long way. We should integrate it more. Would make the world such a better place.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you never know when someone really needs a dose of kindness.
DeleteThe comment about the airline employee reminded me that, when I flew home 2 days after shattering my shoulder (with stitches on my face and my arm in a sling), there were 2 people who helped (one kindly, and one, grudgingly). The gate agent got me on an earlier flight, which turned out to be a mirage when I finally got to the gate and was informed that my reservation did not exist for that flight, and then the not-very-nice gate agent somehow found me a seat at the back of the plane. Middle seat, 2nd row from the back, but I did. not. care. I was on my way home. So, unsung heroes may not WANT to be heroes, but that doesn't mean they are not. :)
ReplyDeleteHa! A grudging hero. It feels like there's a short story collection in there.
DeleteWell, I was dissolving in a puddle of pain and misery at his counter at the gate, so I think he just wanted to get rid of me. You'd be astonished how many people will actively ignore someone who looks like they got beat up who is in tears. (Answer: Everyone). It made me question humanity, to be honest. :P
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