Random acts of kindness I was not expecting

I'm not the world's luckiest girl.

On some days, my life is an illustration of Murphy's Law. Granted, there's a few good days mixed in, enough to give me the false hope my bad luck isn't chronic.

Those hopes are dashed when lucky streaks are followed with a week of mishaps as my best-laid plans go wrong.

So, you can imagine my surprise recently when I experienced two random acts of kindness during moments when it seemed this crisis prone was bottoming out.

I'd spent my weekend finishing assignments that were late coming together that week, unintentionally forgetting to send a stack of priority mail that I discovered mid-Sunday afternoon still sitting where I'd left it on Friday.

Knowing Monday I'd have interviews that were top priority, I didn't want errands slowing down my morning.

I checked outside—dry winds blew crazily, drifting the previous night's snow into high drifts across the hills.

The trip to the post office was mostly flat terrain.

The drifts would be high.

Just get it over with, I thought, and headed into town.

The drifts I encountered on Espanola Road were high amidst the glaring white landscape.

It was tough to see where the mounds began and ended.

I made it to my destination, thank goodness, but hit trouble driving back.

In a moment of sheer stupidity, I took one hand from the wheel to change the crackling radio, mostly because I couldn't stand to hear another note of Justin Timberlake's “SexyBack” while trying to navigate the roads like a skier on the slopes.

I got off the road shoulder and overcorrected.

My car jackknifed several yards before landing softly in a thick heap of snow (Ironically, the station started playing Gary Numan's “Cars,” no joke).

It took a second to get my bearings.

From the odd angle my car was stuck, the impact had left my left knee feeling twisted and a steering wheel mark on my collarbone.

I turned off the engine and struggled to open the passenger door, which the wind kept throwing back.

Enter random act No. 1: At that moment, a car was passing by and stopped immediately.

A gentleman got out asking if I needed a ride, which I didn't answer right away, still being shook up from the crash.

I managed to get my purse and a few other things before climbing into the car's backseat where I was met by a happy-looking brown puppy, which rested on my lap.

Most of the ride home, I was in sort of a daze that these folks—on their way to a recreation deal—were taking the time to help out a complete stranger.

My good Samaritans were extremely friendly as they drove several miles out of their way to my home, giving me advice on what to do with the car.

My bad luck was being eased by a miraculous act of charity I'd never had before, and instead of being frazzled, I felt strangely calm about my situation.

Well, that changed after the 24-hour towing service swallowed the small Christmas budget I'd recently saved.

Enter random act No. 2: my dad. He's not a man of many words, which makes asking him for favors a bit intimidating.

But he'd learned of my car plight, and did what any good parent would do—let me off with a warning.

“Get AAA, it'll come in handy,” was the advice that came with his early present to me. With it, I had money to buy presents for Christmas, including dad.

You believe that? World's unluckiest girl won this round—this time. Both of these selfless gestures were a sobering induction to the season for me.

So, in thanking those who saved me from what could have been a very dismal holiday, you've inspired me to look for opportunities to do the same for others where and when it's necessary.

Buon natale!