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Somewhere will step up when you least expect it.
As we conclude this election season that ripped the nation to its core through bipartisan politics and undecipherable media, social and otherwise, I am alert for men of good will. I encountered such a man over the weekend…
I’m insulating my garage for the winter to protect my detailing products – cleaners, paint, and the like – from freezing, and to prevent my electric bills from reaching Himalayan heights to keep the garage warm enough to work in. Over the weekend, I realized that one roll of insulation I purchased was the wrong type.
I loaded the dogs in the truck and put the insulation in back and headed to the local Home Depot, a 20-25 minute drive from my home in Williamson Valley.
When I discussed the situation with the customer service agent at the desk, he assured me, “Not a problem. Can I see your ID?”
I reached for my back pocket and realized I forgot my wallet. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, shook my head, and told him, “I forgot my wallet.”
I’m certain his initial response was the corporate line, “I’m sorry, but we really can’t do anything about it without your ID.”
“Shit,” I said more to myself than to him, “I live in Williamson Valley. To go home and get it and drive all the way back…”
The agent understands my dilemma. “Alright,” he replies, “Don’t worry, we can take care of this. This is what we’ll do… I’ll use my ID.”
“Wow!” I respond, “You’d do that for me?”
He points to the sign on the counter: Customer Satisfaction. “That’s what I do.”
As we go through the process, he explains there is an $8 difference between the two different rolls. When I tell him that Home Depot can keep the $8, he explains, “Sorry, Carl, you owe us $8.” We stand mutely for a minute staring blankly at each other, and then it happens. This man of good will retrieves his wallet from his back pocket and pays the $8 I owe Home Depot. I am amazed. “God bless you,” I tell him.
I ask for his name and phone number so I can follow up and make things right with him. He waves me off. “Don’t worry about it,” he says, “I’m glad I could help.”
The man’s humanity rocked me to the core. After weeks and months listening to a barrage of hateful and spiteful vitriolic political bickering 24/7 for many, many months, I finally encountered a man of true good will. He made my day. The moral of the story is simple: keep the faith. No matter how bad things may seem, someone, somewhere will step up when you least expect it and do the right thing.