Guiding is a life skill.

Day 1:

I was already late for work, so I was rushing down the narrow country lanes that is the privilege to be my daily commute when I noticed smashed black plastic across the road.

 "Ayup" I thought "Those fly tippers was dead lazy, not even made the verge today"

But there was a young girl stood in the road, crying and on the phone.

I pulled over, which I thought would be the normal response but apparently not for all the suits on their rat-run rush.  Whilst she cried down the phone to someone, I gathered she had been hit by another car which had not stopped.  She was shaking, blood running from her hands and tears streaming down her face.

I took her to the side of the road and fetched my first aid kit out of the boot. Gave her a tissue to clench with the bleeding hand holding her phone whilst I cleaned her other hand, checked it for glass and stuck plasters over the cuts, she swapped hands and I did the same on the other side.   She was still talking her way through what had happened to her parent, so I fetched a thick fabric tote bag out of my boot and cleared her dashboard, gear stick area and driver's seat of glass.

She finished on the phone saying "There's a lady here helping me" - totally the first time we had properly acknowledged each other!!!

I sat on the edge of my open boot and she told me she was on her way to an interview and she really wanted the job and now she would be late and and and.  Bless her.  Turns out it was at the firm where I work, I rang our reception told them what had happened and that she wouldn't be going in today so they could tell HR when they went to collect her.  I told her I would try to talk to HR for her and said she should go home, she wouldn't perform her best all shook up.  I stayed sat in my boot until after she finished another conversation with her parents and she decided to drive home (and the car was fine to drive, the damage was mostly glass rather than body work.)

We drove off at the same time and I headed to work, went to reception, found out where HR were interviewing, went to see them and explained I had told her to go home and that I knew they would rearrange it for another day.  They did.

Day 2:

Parked on a main road in major town waiting for an appointment time.  Watched a large posh Mercedes park up behind me and the suited guy jump out of his car and rush off.  And slowly, in a car built with quality manner, his boot opened up.   I saw him head off down a park entrance but then disappear into what appeared to be the bushes.

 "Ayup" I thought!!  (Ayup now clearly being my Guiding speak that means "stop, assess, act")

I went to his car and surveyed the boxes of files being speckled by the drizzle and his rather lush laptop bag.  I shut the boot and looked through the passenger window to see if I could tell if the car was locked properly.  I honestly didn't want to try the handles for fear of setting the alarm off and then letting the whole world know it was a laptop free for all.  Not overly happy with the locking state I too rushed down the park entrance and to what turned out to be an entrance in the bushes into a medical centre (seriously screened by vegetation!)  I went inside and there he was.  I told him I had shut his boot but I wasn't sure if it was locked.  He was fairly sure it would be but couldn't leave as he had an appointment. I wandered back to my car and sat listening to the radio again, he came 'out of the bushes' after a while and immediately went to his boot, checked the laptop and I saw a glimmer of relief and then he cruised away in large posh Mercedes style.


AYUP:

I am absolutely positive that Guiding experience gave me the ability to help the young girl calmly and well.

I am also absolutely positive that Guiding  experience gave me the confidence to close a boot and follow a strange man into the bushes!!

I know neither situation is remarkable but as I considered them afterwards I know that Guiding has helped form the person I am.

I'm grumpy, I'm emotional and often irrational but when it comes down to the wire I do the right thing.  This makes me happy.