Day 3,286—Thanks Banks!—

I finally caught up on my homework today while my wife and baby were sleeping. I snuck out for a planned run of a couple of miles. As I opened the door, I saw a huge tree branch in my front yard, perfectly aligned with the neighbor's yard. I decided to stick to my plan and go for the run, while trying to process what the next step should be. My mind was racing as I thought about the other expenses I had recently, taking care of the new baby and getting some necessary work done on my car.

I debated whether to do my homework or remove the branch from the yard, but the pressing weight of the branch made the decision for me. I went out to try to pull it and pick it up, but soon realized that I would not be able to move the branch to my backyard alone. As I was struggling, a car pulled over and a man yelled out of his window, "Do you need help?"

This caught me off guard, and the man got out of his car to help me move the branch to the back. He said that he did this kind of stuff for his job, and it was no big deal. I offered him some money for his time, but he refused, saying that he just liked helping people.

Even though I often say the same thing to people when they thank me for helping them, I was still shocked by this encounter. I had been telling myself the story of "why do all these costly things have to happen to me all at once?" Now my story is about a guy who happens to stumble upon kind strangers.