The world is full of different people. Different interests, needs and emotions drive our days. Each life is unique, but in each of them we can also find commonalities.
Sometimes this connecting factor can be the experience of being helped.
This was the experience of three ordinary people, strangers to each other, on a weekday. When the clock struck eight and night had turned to dawn, the three people each went about their daily business. They knew nothing about each other, but fate had decided that their daily lives would somehow become intertwined today. For they would all need help.
One of them put on a fireman's uniform, another opened the door to his grocery store and a third turned on the computer in his home office. They all had workdays ahead of them, but on the surface they seemed to be very different. Around noon, however, things started to happen.
The fire brigade had been alerted to extinguish a fire in an apartment block. Flames had been hitting downstairs and a column of smoke had hit the first firefighters with force. A water jet and the courage of the fire brigade had helped to bring the out-of-control fire under control. However, the building was still smouldering, and the firefighter received a worrying piece of information: the false floor was full of demolition debris. Seeing the potential horror scenario before his eyes, the firefighter decided to make a call.
The shopkeeper stood between the freezer vats and felt drops of sweat running down his back. It was a sad sight: workers were rapidly moving frozen products on rollers into the freezer room of the warehouse. Melted ice creams, soft packs, water on the floor. These were things that didn't belong near the frozen food bins, and a sinking feeling began to take over the shopkeeper's mind. Imagining what the worst-case scenario could lead to, the shopkeeper decided to make a phone call.
It had been a stressful day at the home office, and the engineer had decided to have a better lunch than usual. As usual, after a tasty meal, he set the coffee dripping in the kitchen, ready for the afternoon's grind. A trip to the toilet, however, was about to throw everything into a new spin. The water didn't settle when flushed, but began to flood the floor. The situation was almost panic-inducing, and the knowledge that an important meeting was about to start in half an hour didn't help matters any. Looking at the flooding dripping water, the engineer decided to make a phone call.
The morning at 24 Center had passed peacefully. Coffee had been drunk and the staff were each on their own tasks. At around 12 noon, the customer service centre received three people's requests for help and immediately passed them on. Help was now needed, and fortunately, helpers could be found.
Soon a high-powered truck parked in front of a still slightly smoky front building, a truck backed into the engineer's home office and a refrigerator attendant shook hands with a shopkeeper. Although they did not know each other, and although they worked in completely different environments, they now had at least one common experience of this everyday life: the distress of a problem, and the relief of finding help.
The firefighter returned to the station happy that the fire had not spread out of control. He was ready for the next alarm.
The shopkeeper stood behind the counter and was pleased that the refrigeration equipment had been repaired quickly. He was ready to serve customers.
The engineer poured coffee into his cup and gazed with satisfaction at the functioning bathroom. He was ready for the meeting that was about to begin.
And 24 Center continued to be on call. They were ready to help - day and night.
