How many nights in a row can you watch terrible things happening to people from across the globe without thinking that this is all that happens? Yeah they put a little human interest/feel good story at the end to try and make up for all of the crime and disaster you have been bombarded with for the first 99% of the show, but isn’t this kind of like eating a great dessert when dinner was a shit sandwich? Try as they may, this just doesn’t seem to take the taste out of my mouth…it only fuels paranoia, division and hate.
This past weekend, my family and I took a short weekend trip for a “tune-up” and a few days off. Four hours of driving doesn’t typically require a stop for gas, but when you consume water like my family does at least one pit stop is usually required. I could almost drive the route we take to this location with my eyes closed because I’ve taken it so many times and I already know where I plan to stop. But when we do stop I choose busy, well lighted places and check the parking lot for “suspicious” looking characters before getting out; I try not to be paranoid, but I am a parent. On the trip home I chose a crowded gas station near the interstate in Dublin Georgia.
The first thing I noticed after parking the car was a lady about my age chasing a small dog around the gas pumps. I assumed it was hers, so I jumped out and blocked the dog’s path to the busy highway in front of the store. This little guy was quick and we chased him in circles for quite a while! After going in the same circle two or three times I asked the lady what the dog’s name was; I thought a personal touch might help with the capture. She informed me (and the small crowd of fellow pursuers that had joined the chase) that this was not her dog; she was simply trying to keep him from getting hit by a car.
Well we finally snagged the five pound Houdini; actually he jumped in the car with a family that was pumping gas; a little girl in the backseat had him in a bear hug. It was then that I heard a small cheer from the crowd that had joined in the chase; about a dozen people representing every color and age group this country has to offer. The little girl reluctantly handed the dog over to the lady that began the chase and the crowd dispersed. After much discussion of what to do with the little guy, we decided that I would take him with me. The lady was traveling back to Atlanta and mentioned that all she could offer was to take the dog to a shelter, so I left the store clerk my phone number and headed home.
Luckily only a few minutes after we returned home the dog’s despondent owner called and we made arrangements to meet later in the day; she would have to drive an hour and a half to retrieve him. Of course there was a part of me that wished I had not left my phone number at the store; the little guy was really cute…but he was not mine. But what we witnessed in the parking lot of this South Georgia convenience store is what I think the true face of my country is really like. The episode was happening very quickly and everyone’s initial reaction was to jump in and lend a hand; cars stopped and drivers jumped out. The entire parking lot was nice to each other and willing to help a stranger in need. I guess stories like this don’t make a good news story.
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