fulfilled it? If not, what's holding you back?

When I was in my teens, my mother and I were traveling home from a visit to my cousin. We ran out of gas about a 100 miles from home. We didn't have any money to get home. I started begging for money, but most of the people didn't think we looked poor enough. Finally, a nice gentleman gave us $20. I asked for his address so that I can send him back the money. When we got home, I totally forgot about the cash.
A couple of years ago, as I was moving old boxes, I came across the address. On the hope that the gentleman was still living there. I mailed him a letter asking the person in that address if he was the kind person who lent us the money. He was and I fulfiled my obligation to repay him. Actually, I sent him $100, but he refused to take the extra $80 and he sent it back.

Way to go John...

Damn, that was a real nice story!
That's part of what I think being a "good person" is all about.
Kudos!

You know, it seems sometimes that the whole freaking world is going to hell in a hand basket, but there are a lot of truly good people out there. They just never get the same kind of press that murdering, kid raping, intern cigar-smoking, tax evading, scum sucking, assholes get. It seems only bad press makes the headlines. [:(]

John, your story reminded me of a lesson my late father and I had. Many years ago when I was a young adult, my father and I was working on my first house in the front yard. It was a Sunday and all of a sudden we heard aloud clunk. We both walked down to investigate and found a yuoung man and his wife with a bad transmisiion. Being a Sunday we did not know what to do. I had a friend that had a junk yard so we took them over there and I talked my friend into helping them with parts. To make a short story, that Xmas my dad got a card and a mo. Then every year he would get the same thing! My dad wrote them and told them he didn't mind helping and they didn't need to send the money. My dad passed in 1990 and that Christmas we got the card.I sent them a nice letter and explained my dad passed and that every year he would tell us all the story. I got a reply from the nice people from Texas, telling how they were young and didn't have much and my dad helped them get back home.I can still picture that car and the broke transmission, and my dad telling them.."..now you folks don't worry, we'll figure something out. Let's go have a cup of coffee and figure something out.'' God Bless America.

I try to help people when I can. Two years ago, I was coming home from hunting and was on a fairly remote road. I came around a curve in the road and an older gentleman and his wife or girlfriend were pulled to the side of the road with a flat on the front. Two trucks in front of me (obviously hunters, bows in the rifle rack, ATVs on a trailer, etc) whizzed right by them. There was no shoulder, so these folks were partially out in the road. I pulled over and walked over to them, asked if they needed help. Seems they had a flat and NO jack. I offered up the jack from my Toyota but didn't promise that it would work. All this time the guy's date or wife is arguing with AAA, they swear the road we're on doesn't exist (it's on EVERY AZ map). I fished the jack from behind my seat and blocked their back tire with a piece of firewood. The jack DID work (this was an older 70's Chevy with a small block) and we were able to get the tire changed (needed to use my T-bar also) and the guy offered me $20 for the tools and help. I declined it, told him it was no skin off my ass to help 'em out. I asked how many people passed them by while they were there-they said at least 15-20 vehicles. It was NOT a good day for hunter public relations.

There are to many people to list that have helped me through my life. Many I haven't been able to pay back because of some reason or another.

So... I have generally made an effort to help others. Kinda like "Pay it forward". But I always make it [i]my[/i] choice.

My favorite story is one night on the freeway, I saw 3 georgous women on the side of the road with a flat. I was going to fast to pull over, so I took the next off ramp and doubled back. I got out and asked if I could help. One said they had a flat tire and they couldn't get the lug nuts off. I just smiled and said NO PROBLEM!

I didn't notice that there was a fourth person there. A BIG guy!! 200lb muscular guy trying with all his might trying to get the lug nuts off. He was dressed to the nines, but all sweaty, dirty and cussing.

I just looked at him and said "Having problems?" He looked me up and down, all 130 lbs, 6'1" skinny as a rail. I just said, "Move over, I will have this done in less than 10 minutes."

Sure enough, I got the lug nuts off, tire changed and all put away in less than 10 minutes! Sure is nice knowing physics and levers, hehehehe. Remember to STAND on the lug wrench to break them loose. A 130 lbs on the end of 1 foot lug wrench is a 130 lbs of torque.

When I was all done, a highway patrol pulled up. He looked us over, me still all clean, the big guy all grungy. Asked what was up? I just said "They had a flat, and this guy couldn't get the lug nuts off, so I changed the tire for them." The officer just stood there for a bit, looking things over and just started laughing. He couldn't believe that the big guy couldn't do the job.

In the end, I got a nice kiss from each of the three women, and a bregrudgingly handshake from the guy.

Stories like these remind us all of how great America is, and what it is to be a good neighbor or citizen.  A song you guys might like on this topic is a Kenny Chesney song, called Chain of Love.  Sounds cheesy, but it's a chain of events, and passing on the kindness of helping someone in need.

Guzzler, your story reminds me of a situation I had... I had an older Saab, and took it to get the oil changed.  Well, after having it up in the bay for a while, the big buff grease monkey comes out and says the plug is stripped, and he can't get it off, even with a visegrip.  So I take it home, mull it over, and get a pair of dad's large vice grips.  I got them around the collar of the bolt, got it clamped on good, and slapped a three foot lead pipe to the vise.  Got that sucker right off.  I finger tightened it, and took it back to them.  Handed the guy the new plug I picked up and told him that I got it off by myself.  This was when I was about 150lb (at 6'1").  
[:)]

John91498

You reminded me of a deep dark secret that has been bothering me for about 35 years.

When I was a teenager back in the mid 60s I kind of got stranded in Colquit Georgia.  Long story on how I got there.  I won't go into the story but I was stranded without any money.  I got pretty hungry and went to a small Mom and Pa restaurant.  Asked if I could do anything for a meal.  They fed me one of the best meals I ever had in my life.  They let me sleep at their house that night and the next day made arrangements for a trucker to take me back home to Florida.  I signed a ticket for the two dollar meal I ate.

I had all the intentions in the world of sending them the two dollars but it never happen.  I went back home, started my senior year in high school, graduated, went in the Army etc etc.  Every year or so I would think of that nice couple and would feel guilty about not paying them.  In the early 90s while on vacation I stopped in Colquit but the couple had died several years earlier.  I gave their granddaughter $20 but boy do I feel guilty for not sending them the money right away.

Your story brought back my guilt.  

It's kind of a different take on this thread but - there is one thing that I wish I could UNDO that would fulfill me.

It brings up a sensitive subject with me though.

For several years now I've been battling bouts of mild depression over an incident that happened between me and my ex-girlfriend.

Oh, we were together about three years.

It was always a stormy relationship between us.

But so many times I wish I could make just one thing right again.

Sometimes I just really miss her.

The hardest part is she's "passed on".

And I guess I blame myself for her death.

We were at a party one night.

We weren't getting along (again).

She began to drink.

She ran out to the car, I followed her out.

I guess I didn't realize how much she'd been drinking.

She asked me to drive her home, and I refused.
We argued a little bit further back and forth.

She asked me once again, "Would you PLEASE drive me home?"

I didn't want to...
So I shot her.

I think I still owe C shift over at Fire Station 284 some ice cream. They came over to my school and did a demonstation on how the EMS system works, it was part of a project I did for class.

It wasn't my intention to bring back any guilt. I figure if you feel the need to fulfill an obligation, then you should move forward. People who help others generally don't feel that they need to be repaid. They are doing out of the kindness of their hearts.
In my case, I promised that the gentleman would get his money back. It took a few years, but I kept my promise.

Thank you, The Macallan. I needed that this morning.  

There's one in every crowd.

Thank Steve Martin.



I "borrowed" it from him.[;)]

Sometimes doing the right thing can pay off big..

A few years ago in Toronto a limo was parked along the highway.

A guy stopped to see if he could assist as he was a mechanic.

He fixed the problem for the driver assuming that the car was empty and went on his way.


A week later.....his mortgage was paid off for him without him knowing!!!

There was a passenger....Donald Trump!!

I heard a story like that from a buddy. He told me about a guy who used to go see this little old lady who lived down by the beach. He would go to the store for her and take out her garbage and what not. He'd do odds & ends around her house. Kept her company and invited her to have dinners with his family.

A few months after she passed away, a lawyer came to his house. The little old lady willed him her million dollar beach house.