Tag Archives: Kindness

I Will Survi-iiiii-ive Without Jam (hey, hey)?

I had eaten half my cranberry-turkey salad when I realized I didn’t get the jam for my whole-wheat bread. I asked our server as she breezed by our table, and who created wind gusts in her haste to get to another table, if she would bring me the jam I had ordered. “Oh yes, I’ll get that for you,” she said as she whooshed by causing my blondish-locks to blow wildly in her wake.

Five minutes later I noticed our server whooshing back and forth serving customers at other tables. She seemed to have forgotten my request. The holiday shoppers had descended on the bakery like bees swarming a flowering bush. Determined to have jam, I left my seat and asked the cashier at the counter if she would bring me some jam. read more

What I Learned From the Not-So-Good Things in 2015

"In this life we cannot always do great things. But we can do small things with great love." ~Mother Teresa

“In this life we cannot always do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” ~Mother Teresa

Flat Tire
Jerry and I didn’t have a care in the world as we rode down the street in our ancient, yet still running very nicely, Ford Explorer. Mainly, we didn’t have a care since the car’s AC kept us cool. The heat outside could sizzle eggs on the sidewalk, should anyone want to try it. Suddenly…Bam! Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump. “We have a flat,” Jerry announced and pulled the car over, got out and began to change the tire, kneeling on the soft, melting-to-a-boil asphalt. “Do you want help?” I asked while silently thinking, pleeeze-say-no. Jerry said, “No, I’ve got it.” Suddenly out of nowhere a man in a pickup truck pulled up behind us. “Need help?” he called out. Jerry thanked him and said he had it under control. “You sure?” the guy asked. Jerry assured him all was well. I realized then, no matter how much we hear on the news of terrorism, murders, and general hatred between various groups, kindness for humankind still exists. A stranger in a pickup offered to sweat in 100-plus degrees in order to help Jerry, and for no other motivation than kindness. After all, what else could it be? We didn’t post a sign on the road stating that anyone who helped us would get ten bucks. read more

Be Miserable and Enjoy Life Anyway, Part V

Strap your seatbelt, we're on our way!

Strap your seatbelt, we’re on our way!

Tiredness, jet lag, disappointment, and a big dose of self pity made my summer travel adventure more challenging.

But the seatbelts on the bus to Londonderry made the challenge even worse.

I choked as I strapped in, “AHHHHG-GAAAAGGGG!’

The seatbelts had torturous qualities with malicious intentions of strangulation.

“Seatbelts must be worn!” our tour guide said after our group boarded. Click. Click. Click. We all dutifully obeyed.

This compulsory seatbelt law in the United Kingdom must have an ulterior motive. Either to slowly kill tourists by constriction or to prevent their return to their country. read more