The Kindness of a Stranger

I wanted to write a brief post about an experience I had today. This morning, I took some time out of my work day to drive a bit outside of the city I live in for medical appointment. It was a bit of a stressful morning because I was running a tad late, as always, and I had forgotten I needed gas. On days like these, I'm thankful I have a small car that takes only a short time to fill up. I made it to my appointment and it went well, until I was ready to leave.

As I left the office, I frantically shuffled through my bag, trying to find my keys. Out in the parking lot, peeking through my window, my suspicion was confirmed: there sat my keys in the center console, draped unceremoniously over the emergency brake.

After gathering my wits (and chasing some of my papers across the parking lot because it was quite gusty), I submitted a request for a lock-out rescue through my car insurance app. Of course I found out when I did that I apparently don't have roadside assistance added to my policy anymore, so payment was out-of-pocket. (Adding this to my policy is now on my TODO list and I encourage you, dear readers, to go check your policy!) And I mentioned I was a ways outside of town right? "We'll notify you when we've assigned someone to go to your location." I waited at least thirty minutes and the message never changed to "Hang in there! Someone is on the way!"

Thankfully, one of the office staff stepped out of the building, and noticing me pacing the parking lot, was perplexed as to why I was still there. After explaining my situation, he offered to get a fellow he knew from across the road who might be able to break in to my car.

And so it came to pass that a complete stranger made enough of a gap in my car door to slide in a metal rod and with patient precision, flip a toggle, allowing unimpeded access to the resident of the center console. I returned to work an hour later than expected, but many hours sooner than had I waited for a locksmith. I am so grateful to this fellow who took a few minutes out of his busy day to assist me.

The reason I'm sharing this story is because it is a good reminder that it is ok to let someone else help you. It's a tip that I've heard many in the autoimmune community repeat. I know I was raised to be independent and self-reliant, so asking for help, even in the best of circumstances, is difficult. But when you struggle with health issues that aren't apparent to someone looking at you from the outside, it can be hard to admit you need help. You can feel guilty for asking, because you know you should be able to do it yourself. And as a Christian, I think there's an unspoken belief that we should be the ones offering help, not receiving it. But it's ok to ask for help and it's ok to accept help when it's offered to you. It's through giving and receiving that we build a stronger community.  For those with health issues, that community, that support-system, can be vital to healing. Even if it's a small act of kindness coming from a stranger.

- Kristen

What is something in which you've asked for help
or what is something in which you know you should ask for help?