THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602170315
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
This week officially was Random Acts of Kindness Week. Did you notice?
Probably it didn't matter much whether people around here were aware of it, because they tend to be fairly courteous anyway.
Sometimes we take for granted the general friendliness and politeness that pervades northeastern North Carolina. Still, certain gestures deserve special attention.
Last month Sharon and Mike O'Kelley of Edenton found themselves recipients of an exceptionally nice expression - the type that the Random Acts of Kindness Week is designed to promote.
The couple delivers newspapers to customers in rural Perquimans County.
One morning in January, while each was delivering The Virginian-Pilot in Holiday Island, Mike's car broke down. Sharon's vehicle met with a similar fate soon after, long before the sun was up.
The two began to search for a helpful soul - not easy at 4 in the morning in chilling weather along a deserted country road.
Sharon's car had broken down numerous times before. Assistance, when it was available, usually consisted of motorists offering a ride back home or help putting on a spare tire.
``It's about one out of 100 that will come along and help you out,'' she said.
The O'Kelleys sought out a stranger whom they knew only as a customer because of the newspaper boxes at the foot of his property. They'd waved to each other in passing, much as a lot of folks around here do.
They knocked on the man's door and immediately riled a dog inside. Then came voices, and, finally, the door opened and the man invited them in.
While the homeowner prepared the couple some coffee, the O'Kelleys tried to call home for help.
``No one answered at home. Nobody wanted to get out of bed, I suppose,'' Sharon said.
The man also seemed interested in sleep, so he extended them the use of his like-new pickup.
``He said, `Just go ahead and take it,' '' Sharon said. And they did.
The only promise he asked of them was to return by 8 because he had somewhere to go. The grateful twosome obliged.
Most people who've heard this story are amazed at the incredibly trusting man, who didn't want any publicity and therefore isn't identified.
Such blind trust is hard to come by these days, and rarely are people given such an opportunity to test the honor system.
There's a good reason people don't make such generous offers here and everywhere. As Sharon O'Kelley puts it, ``it's because of that stuff that they see in the newspaper.''
All the crime reported in the media reminds us that we can't be too careful. But such pessimism also prevents kindly acts from occurring more often. That must be why we suddenly are setting aside special days to be nice to one another.
The Holiday Island man and the O'Kelleys were both lucky. The couple could easily have been turned away, and the generous gentleman could have lost his vehicle under different circumstances.
But it's comforting to hear of good deeds such as this, done even when it isn't Random Acts of Kindness Week. by CNB