Get Out There and Push

This morning I had to take Bill to the Jacksonville airport.  He is headed for Colorado for some meetings and some skiing.  On the way back to Amelia Island, I was traveling in steady traffic on A1A, and I came upon an interesting sight.

An elderly man in a white shirt and dress pants was pushing an antique car.  I am not an expert on classic cars and have no idea what it was, but it was definitely pre-1940s, and had been beautifully restored.  However, something was obviously wrong with the mechanical components, and the car had apparently ceased to function on the busy road.  A woman, probably the man’s wife, was in the driver’s seat steering, and the senior citizen, dressed as though he was on his way to church, was pushing the car to try to get it on the side street.

The light at the intersection was red, so I had to stop, and this gave me the opportunity to watch the situation evolve.  Along came a pick-up truck.  The occupants quickly sized up the situation, pulled over and put the hazard lights on.  Two young men jumped out and literally ran toward the crippled vehicle.  Both men were tall and well-built.  Either they do manual labor or they spend time in the gym.  They quickly began to help push the old car.

They had no sooner arrived on the scene, when a sheriff’s car turned off A1A and pulled up behind them.  The officer put on his flashing lights and traveled slowly behind them, warning approaching vehicles and providing them with protection.

A young boy got out of the passenger side of the pick-up truck and watched the two men helping the disabled car.  I supposed him to be about 10 years old and the son of one of the men.

The light turned green and I had to move on, but I kept thinking about this.  There are a lot of nasty awful mean people in this world, but there are also some kind-hearted helpful ones.  What a wonderful example those two men were setting for a young boy.  I have encountered young men who don’t seem to understand what being a man is all about.  They get some perverted notion that it is all about sexual prowess.  But what that young boy was seeing was an example of real masculinity.  Men who are willing to jump out of their vehicle, and put their time and energy into helping someone in need.

What a better world we would live in if everyone got out and pushed.