Shortly before we left to do our first overnight passage to Cape May, New Jersey, we stopped in at the Great Kills Yacht Club to see if we could get some drinking water and a few grocery items.

We tie up, and Phill goes to shore. He meets one of the club’s members, Peter, and asks him for directions to the nearest grocery or corner store. Peter says there isn’t one in walking distance. Phill says, “Okay, I’ll just go grab my bike”. Peter says “Why don’t you just take my truck?”. Phill says “Oh, no, that’s too much” and Peter says “Why? You have a driver’s license, don’t ya? Just let me un-hitch the trailer”

So Phill takes Peter’s truck to the grocery store and gets the items we were missing (Peter just lets Phill take his truck, doesn’t even go with him). I see Phill walking back with grocery bags, a big smile on his face (and a “I have another Kindness & Generosity story for ya” look in his eye), with this cheery man following behind him. Phill says “Maryl, I’d like you to meet Peter. He just let me take his truck to the grocery store.”

We chatted with Peter for a little while, and Peter asks “What time will you get to Cape May, do ya think?”. Phill said mid-morning tomorrow, hopefully, and I said, “It won’t be until noon, at the earliest” and Peter says in his cool New York accent, “Well you better quit jawrin’ with me and get a move on!”

Bowled over by kindness & generosity in Staten Island.

I Heart New York.