Today provided me with an interesting opportunity to observe my fellow Americans and how they react to a guy in trouble. My 18 year old truck inexplicably ground to a halt on a precarious, uphill freeway offramp hidden by a wall. I waited for about an hour for the tow truck to arrive. Unable to move my vehicle, I turned the emergency flashers on and stood on the grass divider about 15 feet down the ramp waving my arms toward the other lane to direct people from hitting it. Most folks looked shocked, slowing down as they moved over a lane. Some were driving very fast or talking on their phones or both. Some of these folks screeched to a halt mere feet from colliding with the truck. A few of these people flipped me off or yelled something derogatory. The most interesting lesson of today was one of socioeconomics. The mean people drove brand new Escalades, shiny BMWs, battered wrecks and everything in between. So did the nice people who slowed down, lowered their windows and asked if I needed help. My favorite moment was when the homeless guy who I had given a buck to half an hour earlier wandered over and offered to go buy me a bottle of water from the gas station across the street. In spite of everything, I am thankful for today.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 04:13:45 +0000
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