I took advantage of an opportunity to be of service to a stranger today. A person who was traveling to Chino Valley got 'stuck' in our store parking lot overnight because they were driving with an invalid driver's license, and the Prescott police instructed them to park and not drive anymore. They were hauling a trailer full of goats to auction today, and came into our store this morning to see if someone could drive their truck for them. I had started work at 5 this morning and had completed my tasks around 7, about the time this person was asking for some kind of assistance. They were talking to the manager at work who has given me so much assistance and support over the past two years, and the manager (my friend) asked me if I would be willing to drive this person and their cargo to Chino Valley to the livestock auction. As I had no commitments for the rest of the day, I said I would.
I am so grateful I agreed to help this person out. It was an adventure for me - safely take this stranger and their trailer full of goats to Chino Valley and find my way back to Prescott. I've driven to Chino Valley and back before, but never in a truck with a trailer, and I've never been out to the auction. It's been about 34 years since I've towed a trailer, and the traffic between Prescott and Chino Valley is never good in the daytime. The trip is only about 15 miles, but there are a million stoplights and several traffic circles to navigate along the way. And today we came upon a bad accident, which led us to take a detour.
The person whom I was assisting was pleasant and grateful. They seemed elderly and frail, and I wondered about their ability to complete their journey even with a valid driver's license. My companion told me the past month has been hard for them, and this trip to the auction was important for them. It seems that determination is a characteristic of many people around these parts, and it goes a long way. They had not been out to this auction, so we relied upon my GPS to guide us. The last two miles were on an unpaved, washboard road, and the going there was very rough and slow!
We found the auction place. Today was the first time I was at a livestock auction, so I had no idea what the procedures were. This auction place is operated by people of Mexican descent, and that made me feel very comfortable, as I've usually found Mexicans to be very courteous and more than helpful. We were instructed to back the truck/trailer up to the corral gate in order to tag and unload the goats. I asked my companion to back the trailer up, as I was sure they could do a better job than I; however, they seemed to be having a lot of difficulty maneuvering, so I asked one of the auction folk to take over. One did, and got things lined up well. They tagged the goats while my companion filled out the paperwork. I stood around and watched, which I usually do quite well.
We left the goats and the trailer at the auction site, and I drove us back to Chino Valley proper - to our sister store. My companion was going to take care of some business and try to find a driver to take them home to Kingman after the auction. I set out to find a way back to Prescott.
There is a regional bus service in Yavapai County, and currently it is free. I was planning to take the bus back to Prescott, but I missed the first opportunity. I called a few cab companies, and one got back to me and was able to pick me up. While waiting for the cab, I met a person who needed to get to Prescott for a mental health appointment at the outfit I worked briefly at last year. This person had no money, and I offered to share the cab with them (which made the large cab fare seem more palatable to me). This person was about my age, and, like me, had suffered much over their lifetime from poor mental health. They were currently in an unhoused condition, and facing the prospect of moving into a group home, which wasn't very attractive to them. I understood. They were very grateful to be able to make it to their appointment on time and hopefully get the assistance they need.
I am very grateful for all that transpired today. I am grateful that I got to be of service to two strangers today. I am grateful that I am fit to be of service - sober, reasonably sane, and legal to drive. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to throw caution to the wind today - I took the opportunity to get outside my 'safe' zone in a skillful way. My safe zone is comfortable, but it's not a place where growth and fulfillment occur, and eventually, my safe zone becomes untenable, and I feel myself desiring to break out of it in unskillful ways.
And lately I've been desiring some hard evidence that we really do live in a loving, supportive Universe, and today I got it. I am grateful.
Namasté,
Ken
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