Met Him by Accident Because of an Incident - Do Good and Good Will Follow You!!!

Dr. Dahlia McDaniel Phd - Pharmacist

December 10, 1967. 

54 YEARS OLD TODAY!

Today I honour my dear mother Enid who in 1967 was prescribed the drug thalidomide for morning sickness, AND DID NOT TAKE IT!!!

I begin my 55th year today, and I have a number of things on my mind and in my heart. 

But before I share a couple of those reflections I am compelled to tell you a story. ALL OF IT IS TRUE. Unfortunately I cannot tell the story without crying, so here I go again….

On Tuesday evening I went to the supermarket in my community after a long day at work, to shop for 2 households. I was already tired and it was only Tuesday. The supermarket assistant placed the items in my trunk and I hurriedly opened my driver’s door to get a tip to give him. The car door got away from me and gave the car to my right a good lick. I got the money and gave the gentleman. 

I was mortified when I pulled my door away and saw that the superficial layers of paint on the other car were gone and I saw grey metal. I took a deep breath and wondered what to do. 

When in doubt, take a picture. 

I took a picture of the damage ( I am bawling again as I type this)… then I looked left and I looked right……nobody was looking…… so I jumped in my car, reversed and….being conflicted, I took another picture, this time of the car’s name and model and license plate, before driving away to go straight home. 

When I got home I told my husband about it and showed him the picture of the damage done, and he immediately said, “So you did the right thing, right? You left a note for the person, did you?” I said, “Aahm……No”, and he sorta hung his head down….no comment. As if to look good with my bad decision I quickly said to him, “But I have the person’s license #!!” No comment from him. 

I put everything in a neat little box and filed it away in my head. 

So Wednesday I went to get my hair done and, having nothing much to do while sitting there I started writing my reflections ahead of my birthday, to post here today. 

Something in there must have resonated with me. 🎼Something inside so strong….🎼🎹

On Thursday I woke up thinking about the picture I had taken of the damage. And then I started to think about how the person felt jilted when he or she came out and saw the car. Is the person struggling? 

And then I started to worry that I was going to erroneously delete the picture of the license plate, that my conscience on this issue would fade with time. Then I started thinking about all the bad days I had ahead of me because of how I did somebody wrong (karma). Last of all I thought about our son…..he did not know about the incident, but isn’t this the total opposite of what we are trying to teach him?

As soon as hubby and son left for school, I jumped on every social media platform with a picture of the car and license plate, and sent the same to a journalist friend asking to announce. “Do you know the owner of this car? It is something good. Please contact me.” I did not think past that. I just did it. 

Many people responded with ????, as if to say,”What’s this?” I either did not respond or said, “it’s something good”. 

As I got in my car at home, a neighbour messaged me say someone sent him my post, and he asked me where he can collect his prize. I chuckled and asked him if he knows the owner of the car. At this point I am driving past the neighbour’s apartment and………I see the car…..THE car. I responded with a written word to my neighbour that I cannot type here…..

I sat there in my car staring at the car. My neighbour came out of his apartment and he looked concerned. He did not know what was happening……I put on my mask, came out of my car and started BAWLING while pointing at the damage, and confessing that I did it. I apologised and told him that I would pay for the damage. 

My neighbour had a puzzled look on his face the whole time. And then he spoke. 

He said that since the damage was on the passenger side, he had not noticed it until this moment. He was in deep thought now. 

I sorta repeated the incident a couple more times (you know me) before I said loudly, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free!” 

I drove away and continued crying….He wrote me shortly afterwards to say that he will pay to fix my damage to his car. He wrote about the importance of truth, respect, and honesty. All now mi still a bawl…….I damaged a stranger’s car, drove away, couldn’t do it, confessed to the stranger who turns out to be my neighbour, and he tells me is alright - he will fix it? 

I think he will become a friend of my family. He is a profound, decent person. 

I feel a sense of purging, especially with my uncontrollable tears, and now renewal, just in time for my turning my page into a new year of my life!!!!

Now for reflections….as I turn 54 and start my 55th year, this year has been the second most challenging year of my life, 2020 being most challenging SO FAR!

I have learned that “When the rain falls, it don’t fall on one man’s housetop (Bob Marley),- we are all in this thing together. My greatest assets are my family and my friends, who call upon me for help and who are right there when I need them. I am learning to appreciate every minute I have. Life is fleeting. 

The most powerful life lessons can only be learned through layers of pain, forgiveness (forgiving ourselves too), humility, humiliation, failure and embracing change. 

I have learned that THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE!!

Dr. Dahlia McDaniel Dickson Phd - Pharmacist

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Dr Dahlia McDaniel Dickson a Bark Di Trute Guest Writer, has been a a pharmacist for 32 years.  She owns and operates two pharmacies, Charlie’s Pharmacy and Medicine Chest Ltd., and a Medical Center, Medicine Chest Health Centre Ltd which is located on West Queen Street and Beckford Street in Downtown Kingston.