Lubbock Woman Makes Things Right with Kind Gesture
One of the things I hate most about human nature is how we all hold on to the negative things that happen more than the positives. You are much more likely to remember something hateful said to you years ago, while a compliment shared just moments ago could leave your memory in an instant.
You get to a point where you expect the negatives and are taken by surprise when good things happen. Whether it’s a door being held open, a lift to the airport, or a gift, big or small, these things matter.
I was fortunate enough to experience a kind gesture today that absolutely took me by surprise.
I left the station this afternoon on my lunch break, walked through the parking lot, and got into my car as I usually do. As I went to buckle my seatbelt I noticed something on my windshield under the wiper blade. Thinking it was just some sort of solicitation, I got out of my car ready to grab the paper, crumple it up, and toss it in the garbage. Once I got a better look at it, I noticed it was an unmarked envelope.
I looked around the parking lot, a little sketched out for a moment about the random envelope on my car, but decided to open it. Inside was a folded-up letter with some cash. More curious about the letter, I didn’t bother to look at how much money was enclosed, I just wanted to read what the paper said.
The letter explained that around three weeks ago, an elderly woman was backing out of her parking spot when she bumped into the car parked behind her. She got out, checked, didn't any severe damage, and went on her way. It wasn’t until leaving the parking lot that she noticed some paint that had flaked off of the car she bumped into and stuck to her bumper.
Feeling bad about the situation, she went back to the parking lot the incident happened in and looked for the car, but didn’t see it. With a guilty conscious, she returned to that parking lot whenever she was in the area, hoping to find the car and wishing to make things right by providing some money to pay for any possible damage.
Apparently, that car was mine, and she spotted it in the parking lot the other day, wrote the letter explaining the situation, and enclosed the paper with the cash. She then came back, saw my car parked there again, and placed the envelope on my windshield.
After reading the letter, I checked my bumper and did notice a couple of scratches, but I drive an older car that’s seen its fair share of parking lot bumps and bruises, so I didn’t think much of it. Either way, it was incredibly heartwarming to know that someone went out of their way to make things right when I hadn’t even noticed I'd been wronged in the first place.
The most ironic thing of all is that on my way to get lunch after finding the letter, a rouge rock kicked up by the car in front of me left a crack on my windshield. It's like the world knew I'd need the extra cash to repair my windshield and sent the letter my way in preparation.
If you are the woman that left that not on my car, I want to say thank you. I know you had the best intentions and I appreciate you wanting to make things right. The world needs more people like you.