Commiserate with Crash Victim

The project:
Hear out the owner of a beautifully restored vintage VW Bug after it was totaled in an accident.

This accident occurred just outside our grocery store's parking lot shortly before we arrived. The tow truck and police were already on scene, and all the parties were sitting on the grocery store's wall and were unscathed. The silver VW Bug was not. It had been a beautiful thing, and it was clearly not going to be repairable - the passenger's side was completely caved in and the floor had buckled down to the ground. The girls and I took some time out to hear out the Bug owner - it had been his pride and joy. He was trying to come to terms with its loss as they cranked it up onto the flatbed tow truck to haul it away.

Time:
10 minutes or so

Why bother?
Everyone looked physically fine, but the poor guy and his kid were just sitting there staring at the car. I have SOME idea what kind of work goes into building a car, the blood (literally), sweat, cash, tears, hours and energy. I felt SO bad for him.

Worth it?
I suppose. He seemed like he needed to talk about the car (not the accident) and ponder his options aloud.

Carried a Busy Mom's Bags

The project:
Take a load off for a mom with her hands full - grab her extra bags and carry them to their destination.

Time:
Moments

Why bother?
My girls are big enough to lend a hand now, but it hasn't been so long that I've forgotten what a job it is to juggle all the extra bags that come with parenthood. In this case, the overloaded mom was carrying her purse, some other clunky bag and a lunch bag, all while trying to order a beverage to go with her picnic lunch.

Life's much easier when one hand is free.

Worth it?
Yes.

Cheer a Tired DJ

The project:
Call our friendly "neighborhood" public radio station and cheer up one of our favorite hostesses (aka DJs).

Time:
5 minutes or so

Why bother?
If we're within earshot of a radio on the Central Coast any given Saturday, chances are we're listening to KCBX which features a (mostly) fantastic Saturday lineup. As a regular listener, we've gotten used to these hosts and hostesses, the sound of their voices, their cadences. Today, it sounded like one of our favorites was just super tired. Like she could use a little lift. So I picked up the phone.

Worth it?
Yes - At first she was skeptical. I'm sure she was wondering what I REALLY wanted. But I just assured her that we really enjoy her show, look forward to Saturdays, and hoped she was feeling better soon. We started talking and her spirit seemed SO lifted that I just about choked up myself!