The Journey Begins

I left Red Oak, Texas yesterday morning (February 16, 2010) at 9:30 a.m. I hugged my Aunt Doris goodbye, loaded Jack the Dog in the car and took the first stride in my long journey across the United States for The Magical Eyes Tour. My head was swarming with uncertainties and fears. My stomach was fluttering with butterflies and a bit of nausea. “There was no turning back now,” I thought. “I have Pleaped and nothing is before me now but the open road.”

My first stop was El Paso, Texas to visit with my dear friend, Johnny. He agreed to house me for a couple days before I take off to my next destination. On the way there, my GPS somehow led me along the back roads, which were incredibly beautiful: a scenic drive through the Guadalupe Mountains and hills.

A Strange Route

However, the route was also a little nerve-racking – I was out IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. No cars, no people, no animals, no stores and certainly no gas stations for as far as I could see. For reasons beyond my understanding, I had decided to not stop of gas when my tank was at the halfway mark at the last Stripes gas station I’d passed. I suppose I figured there would be another pump before the arrow landed on the “E.” WRONG.

I searched on my GPS for the nearest fuel station. It was 38.9 miles away from where I was. My low fuel light had already come on, but I had faith in trusty “Sophia the Kia.” She had lasted me far beyond the low-fuel line before.

I Made It!

Just as the last drops of fuel were being burned in my engine, I pulled up to an old, run-down gas station, with old-school pumps and an 80-year-old man hooked up to an oxygen tank and smoking a cigarette with yellow finger nails behind the cash register. You could say it was the typical “scary movie” kind of atmosphere.

The man told me to pump my gas and come inside to pay afterwards. So I did- and for some reason my gut told me to stop at $20.00. I went inside to pay. He slid my debit card – DECLINED. He slid it again on credit – DECLINED. I started to panic. I said, “So what are my options here? Can I write you a check for tomorrow?” (I knew my check hadn’t cleared the bank just yet, although my card had worked that morning.) He said, “Nope, I don’t take checks, but I can call the cops.” My heart sank, tears began to fill my eyes and I hurriedly said, “Let me go see if I can dig some change out of my car.”

A Stranger’s Kindness

I found $14.00. As the pit in my stomach grew bigger and deeper, a cowboy pulled up in his huge pickup truck and horse trailer. I said, “this is so embarrassing, but can I borrow $5?” I explained the story to him and he agreed to help me. I said, “Can I hug you or something?” He gave me his card instead and told me to find him and pay him back.

I can’t remember the last time I had to rely on the kindness of strangers to save my life. All I know is that without that cowboy, I would most likely be in jail right now. There is no doubt in my mind that the Angels, you Pinkies and God were watching over me last night.

A Magical Eyes Experiment

It gave us a Magical idea. What if a bunch of Pinkies sent the Cowboy a note that said, “Thanks for helping my friend Megan out of a bind on February 16. Your generosity means more than you know.”? What if a few of us threw in a few bucks to pay him back? How would being acknowledged and rewarded this way make him think about kindness to strangers, or inspire him to pay it forward? If you’re moved to participate in this particular Pink Effect experiment, we’ll post more information on the Pink Effect page on the Posse Forum.

In the meantime, what about you Pinkies? Can you remember the last time you helped out a stranger? Or relied upon the kindness of one?

And I’m just warming up,

Megan Monique

Not long after I posted this, I received the following e-mail:

Hi Megan, my name is Jerri.  Mike, the man who helped you at the gas station, is my husband.  I cannot tell you how surprised we were when he started to receive thank you card in the mail; alot of which contained money.  California to Ireland!
 
I guess what we want to say is THANK YOU!!  Everyone's kind heartedness is very touching.  Mike is the kind of  man who would help anyone; I guess it was meant to be that ya'll were there at the same time. 
 
We live in a small town east of El Paso, Clint.  We have told everyone about these letters; we kept them all so  other people can read them as well.  
 
I checked out your website; I even found where you had included him in the details of your trip.  We all got the biggest kick out of it, we are still teasing him!
 
Anyway, I just thought it would be nice to contact you and let you know what's happened on our end.  You have touched us and everyone else who has read the letters.  We live in a very kind and community, but I know that we will all think twice before passing someone in need.