Thread by @jakequery

I’m bored, so figured I’d share a story that happened to me about 10 years ago. It’s rooted in my own arrogance, of sorts, and ended in the ultimate lesson of humility and humanity. It took place in the great state of Mississippi. Thread👇

Back around 2010, I was only working in spring & summer- I had fall & winters totally free. Despite living in cold weather climates my entire life, I QUICKLY tire of gray skies, ice & snow. So, around February, I decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone: I’d escape to warmer weather

for a few weeks, while doing something I’d always wanted to try: building a house with @Habitat_org. I signed up for a build in Bay St Louis, MS- just outside of Kiln, MS. (Brett Favre’s hometown). The area had been wrecked 5 years earlier by Katrina, and was STILL rebuilding.

Each day was the same: I’d get up each morning, head to the build site, and perform the entry level tasks the more experienced builders showed me to do. Each day at lunch, I drove to “Dolly’s” chicken inside the one gas station in “The Kiln”. I felt like such a city slicker. I

enjoyed the get away, but could not fathom living that life. About mid way through the week, I saw a sign for some farm equipment for sale (or something like that- can’t recall exactly) that made me chuckle. I wanted to snap a picture of it, so I drive off the road into the small

field. BIG mistake. Big one. Instantly, my Grand Cherokee started sinking. The patch I pulled onto was solid mud, and was up past my wheel well. I put my car in 4X4, low- everything. Nothing worked. Just then, a pick up truck pulled up. Two guys jumped out- the exact kinda guys

that had been the source of my snickers all week. Big, burly, overalls wearin’ “good ol’ boys”. They said nothing to me. One hitched a huge chain to the underbody of my car, the other got under to asses a path. Then they yelled to me: “Neutral!”
They hopped in their pickup, got

in drive, and pulled me out. I hopped out of the car and opened my wallet. “Man, do I owe you guys! Twenty bucks okay? “ They looked at me. They were stunned. Almost offended. “Here’s what you owe us. Go down creekside to Anderson. Find our guy Mikey. Tell him u need your brakes

cleaned.” So, I did. (The street names are the names of whoever lives there. So I found Anderson’s street. There, at the end of the road was a trailer- and cars. Lots of broken down cars. Mikey came out & I explained what had happened and why I was there. He asked how long I had.

“As ling as you need, I guess.”. Mikey put my car on a lift and took apart each brake assembly. He washed them, waxed them- meticulously babied each wheel basin. There was mud and rocks everywhere. He worked about two hours. As he finished, I asked what I owed him. “Owe me?!” he

incredulously asked. “Owe me?! Here is what you owe me. Before you leave town, come here for one more look over to make sure you’re safe for the long drive.”
I didn’t get it. This man seemingly had nothing, yet was the 2nd party of the day to refuse any offering.
I asked why?

“I see that band on your wrist. (we had bands for our work site). I see your plate. You drove down from the North, to come here after that storm, to help us rebuild after that storm. No one here will ever take a dollar from you. We look out for people who look out for us.”

When I got home, I read more about the state of Mississippi. It’s one of the most impoverished states in the country. Yet, according to some studies, it’s one of the happiest. I saw why. Some things don’t require money. Some things a storm can’t erase. And sometimes, it takes a

muddy field and a big damn chain to teach an arrogant self professed interloper a lesson. Sometimes, it’s not about what you think you have. It’s about seeing what others do.