No, not the nameless faces in a movie crowd scene or the
toppings on a pizza…… I’m talking about people, and the little things they do,
every day, for others.
Today was the day we had an appointment at the DMV. We rushed through a smog inspection first, and
then off to the land of wait-in-line. It’s not the first time we have attempted to
register his Honda in California and get new license plates. The last time, our DMV was closed, so we went
to another nearby town. As we pulled
into the parking lot, the line was out the door and around the corner…..we went
home.
As he was talking to a man behind the counter, another
employee told me to “move over” so she could help another customer. I was taken aback but then remembered where I
was and obediently moved over….
We sat in the sea of people and listened to a variety of
languages being spoken, and sob stories about misplaced pink slips or
“undeserved” tickets…. When it was our
turn, the gentleman who waited on us was very courteous and helpful. He even loaned us a screwdriver to get the
license plates off the car: no new plates without turning in the old plates.
As I stood at the window, writing the check for the
registration, he went out with the screw driver to get the plates off the
car. The look on his face when he came
back in told me that it didn’t go well.
Not only was the screw driver not the appropriate tool to get the plates
off, but he locked his keys in the trunk….
Now it was my turn to go outside and call AAA. The very nice woman I spoke to told me that
she would have someone out to help me “within a half an hour”………I explained
that we were at the DMV, being waited on, and could it be sooner? She said she would make us a priority call….
I went back inside with the DMV clerk to finish the
paperwork while he stayed by the car to wait for the tow truck driver. He came back in after only five minutes: the
tow truck had already been there and retrieved the keys.
We made an appointment to come back in an hour and a half,
with the license plates, and then went home to try to get them off. No luck….
So, I called the only person I could think of who might be able to help
us soon: the contractor who is remodeling our kitchen.
And yes, he came over within half an hour of my call. And with a few attempts to find just the
right tool, he got the screws off and our license plates, too. It didn’t hurt that we squirted WD-40 around
the screws before he got there….
We rushed back to the DMV, paperwork and license plates in
hand. As we stood in “Line 1”, waiting
to get a number, the man who helped us earlier spotted us and motioned us to
come over to his counter. Within five
minutes, the paperwork was complete and we had our California license plates
and were out the door….
I honestly believe that we get back what we give out. I think it’s human nature to be kind to those
who are kind to us. I’d like to think
that kindness is contagious, truly…. I
do appreciate the smog guy, the DMV guy, the AAA guy, and our contractor, for
turning a difficult situation into a positive experience….
Cheerfully….
Cali
