Strangers Car Ride

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It's not." Dr. Seuss

Tonight I picked up a woman and her child on Southside Blvd. I had never met her, but I saw a kid so I felt safe enough to pick them up. It also reminded me of the times when I was little and I had to walk down the street. I figured it  would be a couple of block, but once she got in the car and I asked where she was going it was the Beaches. She didn't expect me to take her that far, but according to her they were going because all the kid asked for was to see his dad for Christmas. They were on their way. Seriously? So I offered to take them all the way.

This is what I found out...she's legally blind. She can see shapes, but not make out details. She could still somehow see numbers to dial on her cell phone. Her kid was in the school of the deaf and blind because he has glaucoma and could go blind. He was wearing glasses at the time. When we got down to the Beaches area it turned out she didn't know where he lived. Her directions were 6th street, a tall brick building and that is all. It isn't a very large street, but there were a lot of tall brick buildings that looked the same. I had to drop them off at the McDonalds while she called someone to call the guy. When she called the girlfriend she was hung up on. Now I feel bad for dropping her off. When she asked me to call on my phone, I told her I don't call people. This is true, but there ya go.

She told me before she got out, "I had done my good deed for the year."

My bitch response would be: "Why would you think you are so important that you would be my one deed?"

My actual response to no one in particular: "Good people do things because it feel right, there is no such thing as one deed. I hope I am a good person."

Afterwards I went to eat at the restaurant where my boyfriend works. I had mushroom soup, pumpkin ravioli and a deconstructed carrot cake. Good food, good night.

After nights like this it does help me to realize how lucky I actually am. Sometimes I want a new car, especially since that new Juke looks so damn good. Some people don't have a car at all though. Some kids have Christmas wishes of toys/candy, while this kid was wishing to see his father. Also, I just bought an iPod tonight with the help of a $60 gift card I received from my boss.

Now to the reason I am writing this message, going back to the quote. Someone once told me I should worry more about my career and just wondered in general why I care. Strangely enough, Dr. Seuss says it all. If no one cares, nothing will change. Then who knows, maybe helping one person will cause a chain reaction, such as paying it forward. The person may not care and it may not work, but never trying means never knowing.

Freshman year of college I was published in something for the school and the story was similar to this blog. It can be found on page 14 by Betty Jane Chitty, http://www1.fccj.org/shess/Voices%2003.pdf