Have you found your rhythm yet? If yes, then you have cause to be excited. If not, then don’t fret because here’s a fascinating and inspirational story that may just help, and you’re not alone! In the City of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada there lives a profound example of how a person can find their rhythm late in life in an unexpected way. This is the story of Jack, a kind, wholehearted tow truck driver. Jack works long days, offering emergency roadside assistance, flat tire repair and various other tow truck Halifax services on a regular basis. His story is profound because, after decades of hopelessness, Jack found his rhythm in life at the age of 52. For most of his career as a tow truck Halifax service provider Jack had been unhappy with his life. He woke up angry often, getting out of bed before his body wanted to. But that would all change one faithful day when, as he put it in the interview we had, a miracle happened!
If you’re one of those people who have yet to find their life rhythm, you’ll be comforted to know that this kind of miracle Jack had isn’t uncommon. In fact, something very similar may happen to you tomorrow. Jack was driving his tow truck through the heart of Halifax when he got dispatched to provide a jump start boost for a distressed lady on the outskirts of the city. He pulled his tow truck into a gas station for fuel for his truck and coffee for himself before making the somewhat long drive out of town. Little did he know, this would be a day that changed his life forever.
Prior to this day, as previously alluded to, Jack wasn’t the happiest person. He was prone to depression, believing he had no purpose in life. His heart was beating, it seemed, but it wasn’t beating to a rhythm. It was beating to a tune that made no sense, and he didn’t know why he was alive. Now on this blessed day Jack was moments away from arriving at his destination to provide a jump start service. In the outskirts of Halifax, Jack’s tow truck turned up a gravel road where he saw a car with blinking lights up ahead. He suspected this was his customer who needed a boost, and he was right. Jack backed his truck up in front of the parked car and got his jumper cables out before walking over to greet the customer. Even though Jack wasn’t the happiest fellow, he was polite and always wore a smile when meeting new people even when he didn’t feel like it.
A moment later Jack realized his customer was a beautiful woman about the same age has him, and though she had been distressed on the phone she smiled back at him and waved. At that moment a flutter of something Jack could only describe as rapture rippled through his fiber, and his palms started to sweat. Somewhat awkwardly, he said “hello” and asked if she could pop the hood of her car. She obeyed, and Jack went to work connecting the jumper cables to her engine. I’ll save you from the boring details by saying that the job went by smoothly, but something even more smooth was about to happen. Jack swore to himself as he closed down the hood and saw that woman’s face again that she was the finest, most elegant and majestic-looking lady he had ever seen in his entire life. Despite that, it meant little to him because he was suspicious of pretty women. He had always thought that appearances show nothing. It’s what’s inside that counts, after all. But then he heard her voice again and without even realizing it until much later he started to smile–a smile that wasn’t fake or pretended. Now you already know Jack, as a man serving customers with various tow truck Halifax services, had to force himself to smile, but not this time. He began to talk to her after she thanked him. She paid him in cash and part of him just wanted to hand her the money back because it felt like an honor to serve such a lovely lady.
Now this wasn’t the first time Jack had met such a well-willing woman while providing tow truck Halifax services. In fact, that’s only because he swore he had met this woman before. That fact made itself clear when she suddenly said, “Hey, weren’t you the guy who towed my car last year? That’s a strange coincidence, because this is only the second time in my life that I had to cal for towing services, and I could never forget that smile of yours. What’s your name, sir?”
Jack replied, stuttering a bit awkwardly, “Um, my name is Jack. I think I remember you, too.” They shook hands cordially, and Jack asked, “And you are?”
“Elizabeth.”
This was the day Jack found his life rhythm, for a great urge had swelled up from his heart to consume his entire body, and without even doing so purposefully, he blurted, “Can I take you out for dinner tonight?”
Elizabeth, the kind lady who had simply needed a jump start from a towing company while passing through Halifax, replied, almost as awkwardly as Jack had been speaking before, “Well, of course. It would be wrong to deny fate, after all.”
Indeed, it’s wrong to deny fate, and those are the exact words Jack said to her on their wedding 8 months later. Jack began to cry when he told me this story in person, because during the interview he realized he would never have met the bride of his dreams if he had never started working for a Halifax towing company all those years ago. Today, as you can imagine, Jack no longer has to fake his smile when he climbs into his tow truck in the morning. He does it willingly because he knows that this is his fate, his rhythm, and he lives the life the universe has gifted to him. Today, you can find Jack driving his his tow truck through the streets of Halifax NS with a wedding ring on his hand and a big beam on his face.
Now you know why this story is profound. Jack’s heart now pumps to a rhythm, and he knows his purpose. He’s not a religious man, but he can’t think of any other reason besides divinity that this miracle would come into his life. He’s so grateful to be able to live in his Halifax home, serving customers with jump starts, roadside assistance and all other towing services. A life that was once pointless is now sharp with meaning.
If this story inspired you, consider checking back for more. This blog has many posts you might find interesting, like this one. Until next time, I hope you remember that this miracle Jack faced isn’t rare, and one just like it is waiting for you, even if you don’t believe it is. Indeed, the universe works in mysterious ways….
