They really do exist! I heard the bible story ages ago, as a school kid. Maybe that was were I got my desire to help even those I hardly knew, but that is not the point. Or at least not the point I’m driving at. What I’m driving at is the fact that at one time in your life, there comes a moment that you too need a Samaritan. And right now, I was at one of those points….

I’m going to deliberately keep this story hazy, to protect the innocent. After all, it’s not that I am not grateful, or I want to make sure none of you get to know him, but he might object to seeing his life displayed for all to see, without us even having talked about it beforehand.

I tend to have a nose for meeting unusual humans, the ones that are worth writing about. It is not that I specifically go out looking for them, but they turn up all the same. And this guy was no different: wouldn’t normally be found on a train, but a rerouted flight to some far off destination had him returning via an alternate route, thus preventing the use of a no doubt more comfortable set of wheels. And EXACTLY on that trip out, he and I ended up on opposing seats on a train a while ago.

He said he was interested in my new novel, and I was willing to send him an advance copy in electronic form, which led to both of us having the other’s E-mail address. A few mails to and fro gave us some info about each other’s lives, even though I wouldn’t yet go as far as to call us friends: that usually requires a bit more getting used to….

Then today, I was the one who needed help for once. I’m not revealing what I wanted or needed, but it was something I’d be very embarassed to ask my family for, even if they were in a position to comply. Most of them didn’t, and the rest wouldn’t, but you get my drift: the request by nature is one you have to really swallow for a few times, before you’re able to spit it out. And since it would be travelling by E-mail, it really needed my considerable writing powers to make it come out right!

Back to reality, and the fixing of stuff that needed fixing, like the dishes. Way sooner than I expected, my netbook pinged about incoming mail. A quick reply, and incredibly positive about being happy to help!  Our guy proved to be a true Moorelifer, even though he only heard about the site a short while ago. With him granting my request, and thereby also providing the inspiration for a nice moorelife article, we went on exchanging meaningful info…  info that perhaps provides deeper insights into ourselves. And let’s face it, isn’t that what  most of us are after?

Love your Strangers,

Dre’