We were nearly at my Dad’s house on the Thanksgiving weekend and stopped at a traffic light but something was wrong. We could smell fuel and when the light turned green the car would not go. As my husband, mechanic of our antique BMW, assessed the problem, a car pulled up to his left and the fellow told him there is fuel leaking heavily beneath the car.

We got out, he opened the hood and I fished in my purse for a pen flashlight. Then the second highway angel arrived. A lady pulled up to my right and said that just a few yards behind us was a mechanic’s business. She said we could move the car over there and knock on the back door for help.

My husband prepared to push the car and that’s when the third, fourth and fifth highway angels appeared. A young guy came running down the street and put his weight to the bumper and  a young couple also came running. By now there were three guys pushing a small car so the girl and I stood aside and watched. When they’d pushed it into the parking lot one of the guys offered us a drive to where we were going. (My husband came back the following day and fixed the car.)

I stood there thinking that this was like something out of a Youtube video that goes viral. Not three minutes had passed before these five highway angels appeared and offered their help.

Years ago I was about a stones-throw from home when I heard a loud noise beneath my car so I pulled over. I got out and performed the futile action of squatting to look under the car to see what was wrong and as I did so I thought I heard someone shout.  I stood and considered my options. As I was thinking I turned to see a man quickly emerging from the apartment building twisting a wire coat hanger open. He had seen what had happened from the window of his apartment. He got under the car and wired up the muffler whose clamp had broken.

Einstein’s famous question about whether or not the universe is a friendly place has always intrigued me. I believe it is a friendly place but the fascinating part of the question is this; do we believe it’s a friendly (or unfriendly) place because that’s what we have experienced, or do we experience it as a friendly (or unfriendly) place because that’s what we believe it to be?

What do you think?

Photo credit: Rudlavibizon