Jump start.

I stopped at the gas station today, and while I was there a strange man approached my car.

He seemed a little timid, and he mumbled as he asked me: "Would you mind giving us a jump?"

(Image credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Qurren)

Since I didn't need to be home for my conference call for awhile, and the baby was napping nicely in the back seat, I agreed. When I was done gassing my car up, I pulled up next to where two young guys were parked, popped my hood and hopped out of the car.

"I have no idea how to do this," I said, a little embarrassed to admit my complete ignorance. "My husband usually does this kind of stuff." (For the record, I know you put the thingies on the right thingies, etc., and then start the car, I've just never had to do it myself.)

"That's okay," the first guy smiled. He attached the cables to his battery, and to my battery, and told me when to start the car, and when to hit the gas.

When his car was running well, he thanked me three times.

"No problem," I said, and it wasn't.

As I was driving away, I thought about how glad I was that I was in the right place at the right time to be able to help them. It took a little bit of my time, and it took a little bit of overcoming my own fear and anxiety (talking to strangers, having no idea what I was doing), but it was no big deal. Something I probably would forget about within a day or two.

I tend to overcomplicate things, but this was one moment where doing good was just simple. Offering help to people in need doesn't always have to be an enormous undertaking. Sometimes I forget that you don't have to be an expert on a topic, move halfway across the world, or donate thousands of dollars to an organization. Sometimes it just takes a little time, a little openness, and a little bit of serendipity. Here's hoping that more of these opportunities float by - and I have the presence of mind and heart to take advantage of them.