Portland, Oregon
I love this city. It seems like every few days there is something new that I discover or find that makes me feel even more at home.
About a week ago I had left work and went to pick Addie up from "school". It was pouring rain. Traffic was horrible. Cars sat idle for 1/2 mile on my exit ramp. This has always been a busy exit ramp as it is one of the major thoroughfares to Lake Oswego and one of the big malls. Once I neared the traffic light, a car about 6 in front of me had broken down. She was not the cause of the congestion. We had all proceeded to go around her, but as I drove past, I noticed something that is not unusual in this city. A man in his early 20's, and a woman in her mid 40's drove around her, pulled over to the side of the road and ran to her disabled vehicle. I got stuck at another light just a few hundred feet away. As I watched them both push her car farther off the shoulder so other cars could get around, I smiled and thought how great people really can be.
Now I am not saying that this sort of thing happens everyday. We still have assholes and hot-heads like everyone else. It's just that there is something different about this city than any other city that I have lived in or visited. I wish I could give those two a medal for taking the 5 minutes out of their, I'm sure, busy Friday evening. Sure, I wish I had pulled over and assisted, but I didn't. With that said, I have made a promise to myself and my fellow Portland'ers, at least once a week I am going to go out of my way to offer someone assistance, pickup litter or some other random act of kindness.
Would you be willing to step up to this challenge?
