Experiencing An Act Of Holiday Kindness

MPT Industries company president, Michael Trueba, shares an experience he had this time last year:

It was about five days before Christmas in December of 2019. I was returning from a week long business trip on the west coast and landed in Newark airport around midnight. After picking up my bag at the baggage claim, I tried to schedule an Uber ride. The airport was extremely busy and, not surprisingly, the Uber rates had skyrocketed. What would normally be a $40 cab ride home, had soared to over $150.

As a result, I decided to take a short train ride to Penn Station in Newark hoping that I could find a yellow cab ride there. Well, no such luck. There were no cabs and the Uber rates were the same, around $150. So I decided to just walk out to the curb where the yellow cab and Uber drivers pick up. A well dressed man approached me and asked if I needed a ride. I know it is not advisable to do this, but I said yes, what is the cost? After asking for the destination, he said $40 which is the normal rate. I reluctantly said, let's go.

Well I must admit, this driver was the best I have ever had, and I travel to the airport fairly frequently. He was polite, well mannered and a great conversationalist.
Just a few minutes before he dropped me off, he asked to please check to be sure that I had gathered all my belongings. He explained that the day prior he had spent a couple of hours tracking down the owner of a wallet that had been left behind. He found the owner's home address and returned the wallet to the man's wife. Upon meeting his wife, she handed him a monetary reward which he politely refused. She was somewhat amazed and asked the driver why he would go through so much trouble to return the wallet and not accept a reward. His reply was simply, I did not do it for the money. I did it because it was a pleasure driving your husband to his destination, and more importantly, because it makes me feel good to help others.

This story made what was an exhaustingly long day, a wonderful experience. Honestly, I would go through the entire day again just to hear him tell the story. It certainly inspired me, and my hope is that it can inspire others to help family, friends and even complete strangers. Little things matter. Helping a person struggling with a heavy package, holding a door open, letting someone in front of you in line, any of these things can help brighten someone's day. I can promise you they can also help brighten yours!