Rut #2, Brady Edwards

      For the better part of childhood, I watched my dad reach out to complete strangers. People pulled off to the side of the road often had a handle on their situations, but on occasion, our stopping the car and asking if we could help yielded great service opportunities and grateful people. It extended past people with cars and mechanical problems, as my dad would sometimes offer rides to strangers walking on the side of the road. I always thought it was cool, and I never once felt like I was in a dangerous situation, because I knew my dad, the adult, could handle it.
     I had a shocking realization the other day: I'm now that adult. I have my own car, I have decent mechanical knowledge, I'd be able to handle any physical threat that could surface; I mean I pay my own bills and everything for crying out loud. In light of this revelation, I determined to start assuming that role in some small, preliminary way. This lined up fantastically with our assignment and so with a deadline looming overhead, I decided to find someone to assist off the side of the road.
     My opportunity came the other night as I was driving home at 2am. I saw someone wheeling a suitcase and carrying a backpack and carry-on up University Ave, presumably from the Provo Trax Light Rail. He looked tired and cold, though he was partially bundled up. I drove past him initially and kept going for about a quarter mile. Indecision pulled me in both directions. What if he was some sketchy hobo? What if he shanked me and took my car? What if he's got a gun? I recognized my geographical location (provo), and realized that this was probably the safest city on earth to pick up random strangers, and so went ahead and turned around.
     I pulled over, rolled the window down, and asked this guy where he was headed. He said he was just getting back into town and that his apartment was a coupe of miles down the road. I offered him the ride, and after loading up his bags, he hopped into the passenger seat. I learned his name was Jeremy, and that Jeremy was actually kind of an odd dude. He avoided answering questions directly and would instead answer with something hardy similar. Additionally, he asked that we go and pick up another friend of his who was also out wandering around on the street, apparently looking for Jeremy. I started questioning whether this was actually a good idea, but went ahead and looked for his friend. We found him, he piled into the car and off we went to their apartment. I dropped them off, they expressed gratitude, and I drove home.
     I don't know if my giving Jeremy a ride had a lasting, meaningful impact on his life, but I know that for me, it represented stepping out of my comfort zone, assuming a new role, and traipsing into the unknown. It ended up working out, and I felt pretty cool for carrying on my dad's legacy.