Everyday people…extraordinary individuals
Lately, I’ve encountered some fantastic people who claim they’re “just doing their job” when, in reality, they’re going above and beyond. Here are a few examples:
George, the security guard
This man, who guards the faculty parking lot at school, is the only one who believed me when I told him why I no longer had a parking tag (I’ve since gotten one). Others treated me like a common criminal. He let me park. We started chatting and became buddies. Now, when I pull in and see that there are no spots, he pulls his late-model Caddy out of his spot and lets me have it. He parks on the side and then waits for another spot to open up. Thanks to him, I don’t have to drive over the the highly inconvenient garage and be late to class. Last time he did this, I got him some fresh Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and took a few minutes to chat with him. He confessed to me that he’d been chatting on his cellphone with his daughter, who’s a geriatric social worker. He said he talks to her every day and is so proud of her because she went to college and likes the work she’s doing. He simply adores her. “She’s my best friend,” he said. Sweet! I think she’s a lucky daughter, too.
E–the “un” lawyer
This woman is a human angel, I swear. She’s helped me with loser landlords, an automobile manufacturer and now, something incredibly complicated and unpleasant. What makes her so special? She cares….she works hard…and she’s undaunted by the BS that overwhelms most people. She doesn’t behave like a typical lawyer, either. She’s not about money. She’s about what’s right. I keep telling her that I owe her 100s of hours of free writing/editing and she says, “Don’t be silly.” Anyway, right now, she’s helping me out with something so icky that few lawyers would want to take it on (especially since she may not make much on it). She once drove to a county courthouse to hand deliver papers for me–to make sure they were in on time. When we go out for coffee or a meal, she tries to pay. I freak out, of course, grabbing the check from her. She giggles, with her cherubic cheeks turning pink. A real angel…I swear.
Henry, my (new) mechanic
This man (his name escapes me at the moment) is something else, too. He’s a Honda specialist, and he’s not local, but he’s worth it. Why? He likes to run errands…and will run yours with you. You leave the car with his mechanics and go out to the bank, store, etc. He goes in with you or handles his own errands, and then you drive back to the shop. He once dropped me off at my doctor’s office and then picked me up later. Different, right? And he doesn’t mind. What makes him extraordinary? The fact that he alerted me to my malfunctioning SRS light and what it really meant. I thought it had to do with my seatbelt. Wrong! It’s the air bag. He let me know that it wasn’t working–that it would not activate in the event of an accident. Yikes, I thought–I had no idea. He then fixed it and didn’t charge me (since I was paying cash). Nice of him, huh? More importantly, he may have saved my life. Each of these people, in my opinion, is extraordinary even they they don’t necessarily think so. I’m lucky to have crossed paths with them–and I’m grateful. 
A friend and I were talking recently about heroes. When we began naming heroes, we realized they were all from the past. We tried to think of present-day heroes and were surprised at the much shorter list of names.
Your entry is a wonderful reminder of the heroes among us! They ARE everyday people living extraordinary lives
Hello Professor, I liked your story very much.
It is a very good experience to share time with friendly people.
Hello Professor! First of all thanks for commenting on my blogs! I liked this new blog because it shows that there are still some nice and kind people who are willing to help someone in need, and the best is that they do it from heart and not for money! I’ve found some people like that in my journey, too. I consider them “my angels.” I think we should all learn to help people without expecting to get something back! At least, when I do some favor, the only thing I expect back is a simple and still important “Thank you!”