The universe, again!

There are moments during most weeks when I question what the universe sends my way. Large or small, insignificant or bizarre events which appear from nowhere and yet have cause to alter my plans in a heartbeat. Such an event took place last week, a week ago today to be precise. I’d gone into town, as is my routine, and came upon a lady who was quite distressed. She didn’t know the area, had driven there for a one-off appointment but now, was lost. She’d been in such a panic about her appointment that she’d forgotten where her car was parked. She knew one detail – it was in an open-air carpark. She later said she’d bought a three-hour parking ticket confirming the first detail. I asked if she remembered seeing specific landmarks, gardens or the river? Nothing remembered. What do you do?

It reminded me of the morning back in September 2023 when I found a young man lying unconscious on a drive way during my dog walk – at first, you think it’s a twisted joke until reality kicks in. 

So back to the question – what do you do? Mid-afternoon, a complete stranger, who’s clearly upset … there was only one option for me. And that’s because I’ve been in similar situations in life, not that exact one but I’ve been alone, lost and frightened on many occasions without someone to trust. 

How many open-air carparks are there in your nearest town? I can confirm there are six in my town, not including the train station or the cinema. It took 70 minutes to walk this lady around each car-park viewing the lines of parked vehicles. We visited the largest carpark twice, approaching it from different angles – and that’s when we found her car, safe and sound awaiting her return. You can imagine our relief, as we were running out of options at this point. 
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I made sure her phone/sat nav was set up correctly to direct her back towards Stafford. And off she went. A chance encounter that colours your day, highlighting certain aspects of modern life and has had my muse churning for a week. 
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I’m hoping the universe has given up testing me for the time being and gives someone else a chance of a good deed.