"There... fixed that for you :)"
A Gentleman's Duty
Good day, friends.
Allow me to share a small story that happened earlier today. I would like you to share your thoughts on it, and pass along similar situations you have found yourself in.
As a bit of background, a prelude of sorts, it was one of the coldest days of the year to date in my area, with the mercury hovering somewhere in the vicinity of zero even before the effects of wind chill -- a considerable element, given that the wind was supposed to clock up to 30 MPH.
I had just arrived at the college campus I attend, and, as I had come later on in the morning, I was forced to park at the far end of one of the distant lots. I dress relatively formally (slacks, a button-down shirt, a tie, and a vest) and I was wearing my pea coat and knit scarf. Despite this, the best word to describe the conditions would be "bitter."
Another car had parked beside mine, and a young woman got out and began the long trek beside me. I put it kindly when I say she was woefully unprepared for the elements: pink sweat pants, what I assume was a T-shirt, and a thin cotton zip-up hoodie (which was unzipped when she exited the car). By the time we reached the end of the parking lot, she was shivering violently, and there was still a very good distance to go before we reached the safety of the campus quad itself -- and the welcome heat of the buildings!
To be honest, looking at her, I was afraid she'd have hypothermia by the time we finished the trek. I removed my woolen naval surplus coat, and held it out to her. She was shivering too violently to put it on, so I draped it over her shoulders like a cloak and buttoned the front, shouldering her backpack so she could keep her arms inside of the coat.
The rest of the walk was one of the coldest, most savage experiences I have ever had in my life. It burned and seared every bit of exposed flesh, and cut mercilessly through the cotton of my shirt. My vest offered some protection where it covered, being a much sturdier fabric, but I was largely numb by the time we reached the nearest building and she could return my coat to me.
Despite this, I felt good.
Have you had similar things happen? How did you feel about it at the time?
Allow me to share a small story that happened earlier today. I would like you to share your thoughts on it, and pass along similar situations you have found yourself in.
As a bit of background, a prelude of sorts, it was one of the coldest days of the year to date in my area, with the mercury hovering somewhere in the vicinity of zero even before the effects of wind chill -- a considerable element, given that the wind was supposed to clock up to 30 MPH.
I had just arrived at the college campus I attend, and, as I had come later on in the morning, I was forced to park at the far end of one of the distant lots. I dress relatively formally (slacks, a button-down shirt, a tie, and a vest) and I was wearing my pea coat and knit scarf. Despite this, the best word to describe the conditions would be "bitter."
Another car had parked beside mine, and a young woman got out and began the long trek beside me. I put it kindly when I say she was woefully unprepared for the elements: pink sweat pants, what I assume was a T-shirt, and a thin cotton zip-up hoodie (which was unzipped when she exited the car). By the time we reached the end of the parking lot, she was shivering violently, and there was still a very good distance to go before we reached the safety of the campus quad itself -- and the welcome heat of the buildings!
To be honest, looking at her, I was afraid she'd have hypothermia by the time we finished the trek. I removed my woolen naval surplus coat, and held it out to her. She was shivering too violently to put it on, so I draped it over her shoulders like a cloak and buttoned the front, shouldering her backpack so she could keep her arms inside of the coat.
The rest of the walk was one of the coldest, most savage experiences I have ever had in my life. It burned and seared every bit of exposed flesh, and cut mercilessly through the cotton of my shirt. My vest offered some protection where it covered, being a much sturdier fabric, but I was largely numb by the time we reached the nearest building and she could return my coat to me.
Despite this, I felt good.
Have you had similar things happen? How did you feel about it at the time?
Tags: chivalry, cold, duty, gentleman's, manners, weather
Views: 55
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mark Nelson on -
Thank you! It's amazing, just how fast the cold can disable a person. You feel fine one minute, and the next your extremities are numb and you just can't stop shaking.
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Permalink Reply by Dwane Lay on -
Bravo to you, sir. You found the opportunity to express your manhood in a positive way.
+5 man points, and a hypothermia high five. *smack*
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Permalink Reply by Mark Nelson on
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Hahaha, one man point for each finger (that I still have despite the cold)?
Thank you. So many stories of manhood, these days, seem to be tales of facing down drunken louts and their unwanted advances. I've been there and done that as well, but I just don't get the same good feeling that I got from this.
Do you have any stories of a gentleman's duty to share?
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Olver on -
This young lady may never forget this act of kindness as long as she lives.
I sincerely hope it will lodge in her mind as a permanent measuring bar for men who would try to pursue her.
Good form!
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Permalink Reply by Mark Nelson on
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Thank you! I appreciate your kind words.
She seemed like a nice girl, but I had the impression that she was from the southern states, and didn't know just how savage the winters can get up here. It has been a very mild year up until now.
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Permalink Reply by Todd Serveto on -
One day I was on my way home from the high school where I teach when I saw two ladies, who were a bit older, broke down beside the road. It was
a warm afternoonsweltering out, and I wasn't about to let them stay there, stranded. I turned around and went back to where they were.
I tried to start their vehicle but could not. They contacted their husbands by cell phone. The men were on their way, but they were not close by, and the ladies would have had a long wait. So I took them to a convenience store in a nearby city (the opposite direction of my commute), ensured that they had enough money to get something to drink, and ensured that their husbands could find them. They tried to pay me something, but I wouldn't have thought of taking any money--the city was like fifteen minutes in the wrong direction for me---so what--no biggie.
A few weeks later, the principal came to see me carrying a letter that the ladies had written to the superintendent, saying what a gentleman I was. You'd think I had been some kind of hero or something! And while I'm pleased that they were grateful, I still think that it was rather ordinary--just the right thing to do. If my wife is ever stranded some place, I hope someone will do the same for her.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Nelson on
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What was it that Robert Frost said? "Some say the world will end in fire. Some say in ice." It seems like that's what we've run into here -- the opposite ends of the temperature spectrum, but both equally unpleasant and, indeed, dangerous!
Thank you for sharing that story with us. I certainly agree with your reasoning: if I was caught in the same predicament, or if my girlfriend was, I would certainly hold out hope that someone would extend a helping hand!
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Permalink Reply by Mark Nelson on
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Thank you!
It's always shocked me as well, to be entirely honest. If I feel the slightest bit cold when I leave the house, I turn right back around and go back in to get a scarf, gloves, a better hat, a heavier coat, etc. I always assumed it was a common sense thing, but I suppose that old adage about how "common sense is quite uncommon" is kicking in again.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Nelson on
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Oh, I won't disagree with you -- she definitely was, as I said, woefully unprepared. I think the message got through, though; I doubt I'll see her again without a coat.
I appreciate your sentiment. She certainly did. I made her promise to buy some better winter gear.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Nelson on
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Referring to the food? The concept seems to work for the Eskimos! Haw.
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Permalink Reply by Gunnar Langemark on -
Until I stopped bringing extra sweaters in my luggage, my wife never brought warm clothes on weekend trips.
Now I bring extra sweaters again. It is quite nice to be able to offer warmth and comfort.
:-)
It's not the pale blue skin that's appealing. It's the opportunity to defrost it personally!
Always have some blankets in your car! You never know when you need to find your inner knight.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Nelson on
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Ha! I like that -- defrost it personally.
There's many good reasons to keep blankets in your car, and that's one of them. The cold is nothing to play with, especially if you (or another you can help) breaks down on a distant roadway.
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