As a substitute teacher, my daily routine invoves driving to a new school almost every day so I'm usually unable to anticipate the days events, good or bad!
On one particular day, I was teaching in a very difficult classroom. I was managing behavior all morning and by lunch time, I knew I needed a coffee to even consider surviving the afternoon. So on my lunch break, I drove to a nearby plaza to get a coffee. Upon returning to the car I realized I had locked my keys and my phone inside! I had about 15 minutes to get back to the school which was a good four or five-minute drive away. I contemplated sprinting back, but it being winter, I thought a nasty fall on ice would only make the situation that much worse.
So I ran into a McDonald's which was in the same plaza and asked the man at the counter, who happened to be the manager, to please call me a cab. I briefly explained my situation to him, and I could tell by the look in his eyes, that he empathized. He hurried to the back to use the phone while I paced the restaurant. I had under 10 minutes to get back to my school at this point.
The manager returned only to tell me that the cab company had put him on hold and then the line got disconnected, and that he was now on hold again, but had not yet been able to request the cab yet. My expression, I assume, began to resemble some combination of hopelessness and fear.
Without a thought, he grabbed his coat and offered to drive me to the school. Without hesitation, I followed him into his car and made it back into my classroom with two minutes to spare before the bell!
Upon arriving at the school, I thanked this man endlessly. His calm demeanor and kind nature made me think he is probably a wonderful manager to work for, and also a wonderful human being to have on this earth. This experience made me realize that out of every seemingly hopeless situation, there is the opportunity for acts of kindness to transpire, which can have an unimaginable impact on those who receive them.
What a great story.
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