Every day this week, I have awaken with a very peaceful and happy heart. This day has been great. I went for a run this morning even though it was freezing outside. I worked on research for a paper that is due Wednesday and had a great lunch with one of my favorite.

After lunch I walked to my car that was parked in East Nashville’s Ugly Mugs/Silly Goose business lot. I was parked in the gravel lot, across the street from where I had just met a friend for lunch. I approached my car with a smile on my face until I noticed that my tire was flat. Driving to a gas station to fill it up was out of the question. It was as flat as a pancake.

I called AAA. They informed me that my account has ended 2 weeks ago and if I signed up today, they’d be able to send someone out. I gave the lady my card number and she advised me that it would be an hour and half to two hours but someone would come help me.

This was going to put a damper on my movie plans. I also didn’t want to be stuck there alone for that length of time. I turned on my seat warmer and turned the music up, checked Facebook and Instagram and sat there patiently waiting.

About twenty minutes of waiting, a normal looking guy approached my car, knocked on the window and gave me a mini heart attack. There were not many cars parked in the lot and only 3 near me. My body suddenly went into panic attack mode. My head was spinning. I froze. I literally froze staring at this stranger at my window. I couldn’t speak. He knocked as if I didn’t know that he was standing there. I simply said, “May I help you?” He said, “It looks as if you’re the one that needs help.” I said, “Excuse me?” He pointed to my tire. I had forgotten all about my tire. Suddenly, I’m unable to move, to speak. to think. My brain is working in overdrive. It’s screaming at me. PROTECT YOURSELF. I rolled down my window just enough to seem polite. I was actually angry at this thought. He could be a serial killer and I’m concerned with being polite. Insanity! I told him no thank you. Help is on the way. He stood there, as if I should open my door and make conversation. I didn’t. I couldn’t.

He got into the white Nissan Altima parked two spaces away from me. He waived and then drove off.

I sat there still. Numb. Frozen in time with fear. The intelligent part of my brain knew that I was safe.

The part in which will never forget that awful day in April. It’s been years, why can’t I let it go? Suddenly I’m there again. Trapped in the smell of the leather in the backseat. Their facial hair. How they also looked normal. How they also were friendly. The unknown substance that they put in my drink that made my head spin. The knife. I still see the knife and feel it on my throat. “If you don’t shut your fucking crying ass up, I will cut you,” said by one of them. The knife. Oh god, The knife.

I tried calming down. I called Kelli to let her know I was running late and left a message. I just sat there. I tried shaking it off. I played “Uptown Funk” and tried dancing in my car.

This time instead of knocking on my window, the same guy came back, stood in front of my car and held up a can of FixAFlat. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

He said that if his wife or daughter were stranded, he’d hope that someone would help them. He was filling my tire up and I went with my gut. I want to believe that there are more good people than monsters in this world. I don’t want the monsters that hurt me to continue affecting my decisions. I want control back of my life. I stepped out of my car, keys in hand and began to chat with this nice man that saved my day. His name is Jason. He lives in East Nashville and was in the area for lunch with friends. He said he considers himself to be a gentleman. I think I can agree with that.

It worked. My tire no longer resembled a pancake. I asked him to let me give him some money. He said that it wasn’t necessary but I insisted. I went in to one of the local businesses and used an ATM machine. When I came out, he was gone.

He didn’t just save my tire or my time waiting for AAA. He became one of the many people that have come into my life since that day that has helped me heal. His kindness showed me that it’s okay to trust in strangers again. We all need to be cautious and aware of our surroundings but not everyone is going to hurt us. I feel incredibly blessed today for having met Jason. He sensed my anxiety and after fixing my problem, he left.

Your actions have the ability to heal or hurt someone. Just a smile, opening the door or a nice and unexpected gesture can really have a huge impact on someone else’s life.

Sometimes you will say something really small and simple, but if will fit right into an empty space into the heart of someone else. Choose your words wisely.

Love heals everything and you can receive it from the most unexpected people. Let it in.

JMS