Discovering a respite during tumultuous election season in Morro Bay

This election has gone on for so long and has been so divisive that even old friends have found reasons to disagree.

Therefore, it was refreshing on a recent afternoon when I rediscovered the fundamental decency of my fellow humans at the Mobil Station on Morro Bay Boulevard.

The battery to the remote to my Prius suddenly gave out. The car was locked with my purse inside, and I could not remember how to extract the physical key from the remote.

The cashier tried to help. Another customer put down his purchase and tried, also without success. A driver for AAA solved the problem, showing me how to both push the button and pull the key out at the same time.

Then the man who’d been helping me realized that he’d walked away from his purchase. Thankfully, it was still on the floor, with his wallet on top, about 10 feet from where we were standing.

I am grateful to those who helped with my small emergency and for the general safety of living in the Central Coast. I’m going to try to hold onto the sense of community I experienced throughout the remainder of this dispiriting season.

This story was originally published October 30, 2016 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Discovering a respite during tumultuous election season in Morro Bay."