I really hope that feeding the squirrels and birds at 8AM on a Sunday counts as kindness. It is 20 degrees and the wind is howling. If I had a pair of balls - and there are many who think I do - they'd be looking like chicken nuggets right about now.
"Balls", said the Queen - "If I had them I'd be King" - that always makes me laugh.
I remembered to bring my copy of Craig Ferguson's book - "Between the Bridge and the River" over to my neighbor. She had asked to borrow it before Christmas and I kept forgetting. I read somewhere that cluttering your mind with little tasks left undone causes confusion and depression - I think that may be right, I always feel better when I get things done.
Oh - and it's just a coincidence (shakes head No) that mention of Craig follows all the balls talk.
My kindest kindness was last night. My kitchen window offers a clear view of most of my street, leading all the way to the dead end and around the curve that gets you out of here. Since I appear to be the only person in the house capable of washing dishes I am often at that window. For the past couple of weeks I've noticed a woman walking by each evening - right after dinner time. She looks like she's doing a walking regimen - headphones, really good shoes, the right clothes - plus no one walks around here unless they're just walking. I walk to the post office a lot and without fail someone will ask me if my car is dead.
Walking woman seems to be struggling a bit - she often stops at the bend to catch her breath and then she stops again to lean against the telephone pole at the end of my driveway. She's very overweight and I assume this regimen is hard for her - it would be for me. Last night I went out pretending to dump some garbage. I caught her eye and walked over to say Hi. I mentioned that I'd seen her a few times and that I was jealous of her resolve. I told her of all the exercise programs I had started ... just started. We had a good laugh and I told her to please feel free to take a break on my front step - I would have offered the patio but everything is covered in tarp. I also told her to ring the bell if she needed some water or a bathroom break. It felt good when she asked if she could stop for "another pep talk". I hope she does, maybe I should start walking with her.
Claudia sent me everything I need to put the Everyday Kindness blog roll on the side bar and I'll do that soon - formatting makes me anxious and I always have to be in a calm state for it - right now I'm just beginning to thaw. In the meantime the Everyday Kindness site is in my list of "I love to read ..."
Be Kind Out There
3 comments:
I think you're meant to walk with her. It will do both of you a world of good (said as I sit inside my warm office at the computer).....LOL
Hurray! I'm certain you made a real difference for your walking buddy. So many people would have judged or laughed at her efforts. Your kindness really changed her life.
Yay!!
Diane: Your kindness really makes a difference in this world. I was a distance runner for many years. A few surgeries changed that and now I too "Power Walk". What started me on this years ago was reading Peggy Fleming's Bio. You really have to start with 10 minutes with a 2-3 minute warm up and cool down for your heart. But I'm back to an hour now. If you are patient, it is proven to ensure a long, healthy life. Get your doctor's okay first.
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