Last week, in her blog, Alex Young talked about paying it forward. A kind stranger gave Alex $10 (completely unsolicited) to save her the hassle fo hailing a cab that would accept a credit card.

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Last Saturday, I had an equally unexpected helping hand save my day from ruin. I was doing some early morning magazine distribution for one of my clients. My Blazer was filled with magazines, including 2 piles on my passenger front seat. I pulled up to one of the locations and got out. I checked to make sure the door was unlocked before I shut it. Immediately after I heard the sound of the door shutting, I was surprised and sickened to hear the sound of the car locking. I spun around, pressing my face against the window. At least what I saw made sense (not that it made me feel any better).

Apparently the stacks of magazines on the front seat were not stable enough to withstand the minor reverberations caused by shutting the door. The magazines had slid off, cascading toward the passenger door, resting right on the door lock button, now in the locked position. Of course, my phone and my wallet were safely locked in the center compartment of my still running vehicle.

Fortunately, before panic set it (and it was closing in quickly), I spotted a man loading wood pallets into his truck. I approached him and asked for help (although, I didn’t even know exactly what I wanted from him). He looked tired and weary, probably from working most of the night, yet he graciously agreed to see what he could do. After a few failed attempts at various methods of breaking into my own car, we embarked on one last option. A few minutes later, with the help of 3 screwdrivers and a steel cable, which just happened to be lying on the curb, we managed to get the door open, with no damage to my vehicle.

I thanked him profusely and forced some cash into his hand. As he walked back to his vehicle, I breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. Then, I remembered Alex’s blog. Unlike Alex, I cannot realistically pay this forward in the same manner. Breaking into cars is not my speciality, even with the owner’s consent. However, as I finished my drop-offs (with the window rolled down), I kept an eye open for anyone in distress. I did not find anyone in need of assistance today. However, like Alex, I do promise to pay this forward to someone at some point.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist