Something as ordinary as a windshield wiper repair brings a reminder: There are a lot of good people out there
Noah Huston said he was just doing what came naturally to him: Helping someone.
On Monday, May 12, I was that someone.
While filling my car with gas, I cleaned the windows. As I lifted up the wiper on the driver’s side, it came apart in my hand. I tried to snap it back into place, but nope, couldn’t make it work.
I looked at the other wiper to try to understand the device, but couldn’t understand why I wasn’t able to connect the broken one. I needed someone to give me a hand, someone that knew what to do.
A small problem sure, especially when the forecast called for 90-degree weather with little to no chance of rain. But I knew it would rain someday — nothing gets past me! — so I knew I had to get the wiper working.
So, I tried again. There had to be a way.
No dice.
After looking online for places that might be able to make such a minor repair, I drove to a nearby O’Reilly Auto Parts on the east side of Sioux Falls. I carried in the loose piece of the wiper, and asked the smiling young man at the counter if it could be repaired or replaced.
That young man was Noah, who manages the store. He immediately walked outside with me and took a look. His first try was unsuccessful, as the two pieces just wouldn’t snap together.
He then removed the mount — which I didn’t even realize was possible — and was able to reattach the arm. Noah then connected the pieces and my wiper was whole again.
It took him about 2 minutes.
When I asked what the charge was, he smiled — Noah is quick with a smile and a helping hand — and said there would be no fee.
Done, and for free.
A lot of us complain that people aren’t as nice as they once were, that no one has time to assist someone or pass along useful information unless there is a charge. I plead guilty to feeling the way sometimes.
Then you meet someone like Noah.
I thought of that while driving back home. I checked the wiper, and it eased from side to side, clearing my view in every sense of the word.
There are millions of good people like Noah. I need to remember that.
Years ago, I was driving from Nebraska to Brookings when I got a flat tire. I tried to change it, but the bolts were rusted shut. No matter how hard I tried, they were frozen tight. It was in the middle of a remote spot, and I couldn’t get cell service.
As I sat there pondering my options and realizing there weren’t a lot of good ones, someone stopped. They asked if I needed help, and it was readily apparent I did.
He immediately set to work. Soon, a second vehicle stopped and that driver joined him. They worked together smoothly, and wouldn’t allow me to assist them. It seemed like they were enjoying it.
Soon, my tire was changed, we shook hands and they drove off, refusing my offer of cash.
Why do people do things like that?
“Honestly, that’s just our core values here at the store,” Noah told me when I called to thank him and ask why he was so quick to assist me and then didn’t charge.
It was, he said, “second nature” to him. Noah said he often helped people who stopped by the store, and didn’t assess a fee.
“You try to point people in the right direction,” he said.
Noah is from St. Cloud, Minn., and said his family emphasized the need to be kind and thoughtful. Since it was the day after Mother’s Day, he said he recalled his mother teaching him that he should always be helpful to others, and his father taught the same lesson, stressing the importance of “kindness and work ethic.”
He has carried that lesson with him in life.
“The company helps reinforce that,” Noah said.
It was a small gesture, just a few minutes of his time. But it was important to me, and I will remember his store when I need to purchase something for one of our cars. I know we will get a fair deal.
I was ready to pay whatever he deemed appropriate, but he shrugged it off, accepting a handshake and a thank you.
I appreciate what he did for me, and the lesson he reminded me about helping others out. That was a good way to start a Monday morning, and a lesson for me on realizing how many really decent people there are.
My windshield wasn’t the only thing that was cleared up.
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
Photo: public domain, wikimedia commons
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