Random Act of Kindness?

I'm not sure how random this was. I think I may know the person who perpetrated this thoughtful thing but I can't be sure. Regardless of whether I know who did it or not, I was the recipient of a loving act of kindness yesterday. What a great feeling.

I was on an access road traveling south along one of Austin's main thoroughfares (they call it MoPac after the train that runs alongside it). Now I've been here long enough to get around pretty well but am still not that familiar with the roadways. My vision is not the best either, if I'm not wearing contacts or glasses, so you can imagine how easy it is for me to get in trouble.

Anyway, I was planning to get on the freeway but the lanes are kind of crazy at the intersection right before the on-ramp. I didn't know it at the time but I was in the wrong lane to pull that off. A car that was behind me, passed on my right (that always gets my attention) and maneuvered into the correct lane for freeway entrance.

By this time I was already asking myself if I was in the right lane. I HAD been here before but I've also made the same mistake before and somehow my brain has it wired wrong. All this was going on in my head when, the car that moved around me into the correct lane, moved back into the right lane and blinked it's tail lights in a syncopated rhythm - a move similar to what truckers do.

He was signaling. That was confirmation for me that sure enough I was in the wrong lane. Ultimately, it gave me time to get in the right lane in time to make a safe passage through the intersection and onto the freeway.

This small action made me feel so loved and cared for it's hard to imagine. Now this has a lot to do with who I am as a person and how I respond to actions that demonstrate caring. It touched me that a person I don't even know would go out of their way to protect me. In fact, it made me feel so good, I sang all the way home:)

I've been listening to a lot of the Robbins-Madanes training materials with the coaching package I purchased and some on-line relationship materials as well and that has heightened my sensitivity. Last week I wrote about a 5-part free training series that spoke deeply to me on issues of trust. I took the post down because the series was temporarily unavailable. It's back up. You can see it here.

Who knows how long the series will be available free online. It's great stuff on human-needs psychology and how to build and repair relationships - all essential material for writers. Whether you're in a relationship or not, I urge you to check it out.