Its the Little Things

There’s a saying that many of us frequently use; ��It��s the little things.�� This story is about how big the little things can be. This story is about companies that put the customer before the bottom line. This story is about the power of kindness.

Recently I had the opportunity to witness a small act of kindness as well as the ripple effect that one small gesture created. It is often the little things that end up bringing large amounts of happiness. I believe that many of us get so lost in our day-to-day grind, rushing here and there, taxing our hours and filling our days so full that we rarely have time to stop and be present. We forget to be still, and mindful of the beauty out there just waiting to be seen �� waiting to be shared and felt. Somewhere along the way we forgot about the importance of human connection. We forgot that human connection can happen anywhere, with anyone �� if we just give a minute of our time to stop and think about others. A foreign concept – I know. It isn’t the norm – to put the needs or feelings of another, especially a stranger, above our needs and feelings. I think it is a concept that we need to re-familiarize ourselves with. I believe that is important for all of us, collectively as a society and individually. I believe that in this strange, disconnected time that we currently live in, the concept is more important than it ever has been before.

One day last week, my boyfriend was having a particularly rough day. He lost his wallet. After tearing his car and house apart, and with his frustration level growing, he gave in and drove to my office so I could search his car. Four eyes are better than two I told him, desperately hoping that I was on to something. I was praying that I would be able to find it hidden, tucked away in some small crevice in his BMW. When he arrived at my office complex, he parked in a tight parking spot between two other cars. As I approached his BMW in the parking lot, I could tell that he was too close to the cars on either side of his BMW for me to search for the wallet. I would be unable to open all the doors wide enough to conduct a thorough search. I asked him to move into a bigger space. As he began to back out, a loud smashing sound filled the parking lot and a horn from a car alarm began to fill the air with it��s annoying, fast-paced honking. The look on his face broke my heart. I instantly felt guilty for insisting that he move to another space.

Toran moved to a larger space, parked and got out of his BMW. He was visibly shaken, and I watched the frustration on his face turn to anger �� then turn into a look of defeat. He didn��t care about his car. He was worried about the car he hit, upsetting its owner and the insurance claim ramification of the accident. He looked at me and said, ��this day couldn��t get any worse.��

I knew as the statement left his mouth that he, of all people, knew that things can always get worse. I reminded him of that. It was horrible timing for that trite piece of wisdom to leave my mouth �� especially because I was saying it to him.

Let me tell you about ��him.�� Toran is his name. He is the most amazing human being I have ever known. He inspires many with his story. I am in a unique position and have been blessed to come to know him intimately �� in a way that most people don��t. I get to spend days from sun up to sun down with him. I have a front row seat. I watch what he does, what it takes for him to do every. single. thing. I watch it all in amazement mostly at the fact that the smile rarely leaves his face and that he somehow makes it seem effortless. The simple things like getting ready to leave the house, driving, going out to dinner, walking up stairs��I could go on and on about all the things most of us do all day, every day, without a thought as to how. For him though, all of these minor things require great effort. I watch sometimes and ponder what my attitude would look like if I were in his shoes. I would like to think I could pull it off with a smile, but the truth is – I know I couldn��t. I would be a raving bitch. That knowledge makes me fall deeper in love with him every day.

Back to my story �� so, I got down on my knees and searched under the seats of his BMW, looked under floor mats, forced my hand down on the sides of the center console��I looked everywhere. The wallet wasn��t there. The alarm horn blasting from the car he hit was still going, sweat was beading on his head and he was becoming more and more upset. I went into mom-mode �� the mom��s out there know what I mean. I took one of his business cards and wrote a note on the back and put it on the windshield of the white Honda that he had hit. As I walked back towards Toran, he was looking down shaking his head.

��You know how people are, I��m screwed and my insurance is going to go up,�� he said.

I am not sure that I believed what I was saying when I told him that doing the right thing (leaving his info for the car owner) would serve him best in the long run.

��When you do good, good comes back to you,�� I told him.

Toran and I spent the better part of that afternoon canceling his credit and bank cards and then he got to spend the rest of that day replacing his military ID and drivers license. He called me a few times that afternoon, still worried about the Honda owner and I assured him that I would take a better look at the damage when I left my office that night.

I left my office and made my way to the parking lot, by then it was nearly empty but the white Honda was still there. I walked to the passenger side and bent down to get a better look when I heard a voice in the distance ask, ��You like my car?��

I jumped a bit and stood up as she was approaching.

I introduced myself and explained what happened earlier that day. I also explained who hit her car. To my surprise, the kind woman, named Stephanie, said she was completely open to handling this privately if that is what we chose to do. She offered to get an estimate and let us know the dollar amount of the repairs to her Honda. She told me that her son was a Marine and asked me to thank Toran for his service.

I was excited to tell Toran about how kind the woman was and what she had agreed to. The fact that he might not have to file an insurance claim made him happy and if that was where this story ended �� it would have been good enough. But as we all know, things can always get better.

Stephanie took her Honda to Fix Auto in Poway, California to get an estimate for repairing the damage. Her Honda was assigned to a tech who had started working with Fix Auto only one month earlier. His name is Justin McCann.

Stephanie told Justin the story and after a short wait Justin brought the Honda back up front, repaired beautifully, and looking brand new. What Justin and Fix Auto did next is where the beauty in this story shines brightest. Justin handed the keys of the Honda back to Stephanie and told her that the repair was done and free of charge. When Stephanie relayed the news to Toran and I, we were both taken aback at the generosity of Justin and Fix Auto.

The end of this story brings us full circle. Toran was grateful and deeply touched. For Stephanie��s willingness to get an estimate and allow him the opportunity to take care of it without involving insurance. Also, for the gesture by Justin and Fix Auto to handle the repair and ask for nothing in return. They just wanted to help out a Veteran. And they did.

I wish I could share the image of Toran��s smile that day �� I wish you could have seen how happy that simple act of kindness made him.

The day we found out about the free repair; I contacted Fix Auto, and we arranged a thank-you lunch for the following week. Lynn at Fix Auto was sweet enough to play along and let the shop know that a ��vendor�� was bringing the office lunch. Justin had no idea that Toran was going to come thank him in person.

Fix Auto Poway’s owner, Gary Leger, all of the technicians and office staff piled into the conference room today and shared lunch while watching a surprised Justin – publically thanked by a grateful Veteran. As the scene unfolded, I snapped a few photos and tried to hold my tears in.

It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to watch the power of kindness in its full glory �� bringing smiles, touching lives and bonding humans in real-time, real-life connection. It is a beautiful thing.

It��s the little things.

-RJ

Fix Auto Poway,��13175 Gregg Street, Poway, CA 92064, 858-842-3075

Lunch by Jersey Mike’s, Poway