Strangers and the Random Axe of Kindness
Lately I've been getting friendly with drivers of various means of transport. First there was the bus driver who I saw several times a week. It just seemed so stupid not to ackowledge someone who I see more often than some of my really good friends. And then from the acknowledgement came the inevitable small talk. After that there was the other bus driver, who I see once a week when I walk down to Bondi Beach on a Sunday morning. He's aggressively chatty and doesn't seem very bright, nice enough but not the kind of guy I actually want to talk to. But talk we do, because I'm not assertive enough or rude enough to find a way to stop him talking to me.
And then there was the taxi driver, which brings me to my primary topic, the Random Axe of Kindness. The story goes that it was 1am and I was in Willoughby, with no method of transport to get home but to call a taxi. I was insanely keyed up, having just spent the last 4 hours or so singing karaoke with a bunch of my and Vincent's friends. Being keyed up meant that I was much friendlier and chattier than normal (most of my taxi rides pass in awkward silence, or at best awkward small talk). So we're driving along and chatting about how parents need to take more responsibility for their kids when we pull up next to Hyde Park. First thing I notice as we approach is that the bus I need to catch is at the bus stop. I tell the taxi driver this and he immediately offers to reduce the fee for me so that I don't have to fumble around for change. I give him more than he needs, tell him to keep the change and leap out of the taxi. As I do so the bus pulls away. Damn. So I turn around and the driver gives me my change and starts to drive off. Stops a few metres later. Tells me to get back in, he'll drive me to the next bus stop so I won't have to wait around for the next bus. And that was what we did.
That was a couple of weeks ago.
On Friday I went to Manly with Ali, Hein, Danny and Thanda. Driving into the carpark, we were hailed by the sight of a car parked on the opposite side of the road with a hand frantically waving a piece of paper at us. Said hand belonged to a woman who was on the way out and wanted to donate her paid parking, which was good for another 3 hours or so.
Who the hell goes so far out of their way to help complete strangers? This woman was actively waiting by the side of the road for someone to give the ticket to so they wouldn't have to pay for their own parking. Not only that, when we stopped she got out of the car and came over to us to hand it over (we were too busy going what the hell is that woman doing to go over there first :p)
It's almost enough to give me faith in humanity.
PS: I apologise for the title of this post, while I was downstairs eating it leapt into my head and refused to be dismissed
PPS: On our way out of the beach the ticket was still good for another 45 minutes until the parking stopped being paid parking, so we followed suit and donated our ticket to a random European gentleman who was just coming in. Then we speculated about whether the woman who gave us the ticket received it in the same manner
And then there was the taxi driver, which brings me to my primary topic, the Random Axe of Kindness. The story goes that it was 1am and I was in Willoughby, with no method of transport to get home but to call a taxi. I was insanely keyed up, having just spent the last 4 hours or so singing karaoke with a bunch of my and Vincent's friends. Being keyed up meant that I was much friendlier and chattier than normal (most of my taxi rides pass in awkward silence, or at best awkward small talk). So we're driving along and chatting about how parents need to take more responsibility for their kids when we pull up next to Hyde Park. First thing I notice as we approach is that the bus I need to catch is at the bus stop. I tell the taxi driver this and he immediately offers to reduce the fee for me so that I don't have to fumble around for change. I give him more than he needs, tell him to keep the change and leap out of the taxi. As I do so the bus pulls away. Damn. So I turn around and the driver gives me my change and starts to drive off. Stops a few metres later. Tells me to get back in, he'll drive me to the next bus stop so I won't have to wait around for the next bus. And that was what we did.
That was a couple of weeks ago.
On Friday I went to Manly with Ali, Hein, Danny and Thanda. Driving into the carpark, we were hailed by the sight of a car parked on the opposite side of the road with a hand frantically waving a piece of paper at us. Said hand belonged to a woman who was on the way out and wanted to donate her paid parking, which was good for another 3 hours or so.
Who the hell goes so far out of their way to help complete strangers? This woman was actively waiting by the side of the road for someone to give the ticket to so they wouldn't have to pay for their own parking. Not only that, when we stopped she got out of the car and came over to us to hand it over (we were too busy going what the hell is that woman doing to go over there first :p)
It's almost enough to give me faith in humanity.
PS: I apologise for the title of this post, while I was downstairs eating it leapt into my head and refused to be dismissed
PPS: On our way out of the beach the ticket was still good for another 45 minutes until the parking stopped being paid parking, so we followed suit and donated our ticket to a random European gentleman who was just coming in. Then we speculated about whether the woman who gave us the ticket received it in the same manner