Wednesday 20 March 2013

Beauty And Kindness All Around In My World




It’s wonderful when I have to eat my words!

No matter whether I complain about the weather, tiresome people, the boring place we live in, or my own shortcomings, before I can turn around, somebody or something smacks me right between the eyes to prove me wrong.

Dark rain clouds and snowy skies hang heavy over the valley, draining the spirit of man and beast. And then the sun comes out and Wham! the gentle world surrounding me is transformed into one of beauty and joy.

Just when I finished telling  Mary D of Stalled at Twelve, a blog I never miss, how I admire her for her humanity and wish I had a little more of it myself, she writes to praise me for having loved, learned and understood much in my life; she has only my blog to go on and if that’s the opinion she has, I am grateful.

Nobody can be in any doubt that I do not find the entire human race likeable. I am not proud of it but I don’t consider it a failing either. But I don’t often enough expect people to be kind and helpful without ulterior motive, until somebody’s selfless act of generosity brings me up short in amazement. This is what happened this evening. Beloved came to me, greatly disturbed, showing me the dead transmitter for the central heating boiler. “I never touched it”, he was really worried that I'd blame him - his eyesight is too poor to recognise the symbols and he’s got it wrong before now. I fumbled and fussed with the thing, it wouldn’t work. I tried the batteries, dead, and no working ones as back up in the house.  We were just accepting that we’d have to be without heating when I decided to ring my neighbour and good friend Sally for help. “I am sure we have spares”, she said immediately. “I’ll have a look for them and bring them over”. It was after nine pm and pouring with rain, the way from her house to mine goes through a dark field and is 200m or more. I protested that I’d come to her house. “No no”, she said, “I’ll bring them over.” Which she did, within ten minutes, dripping wet in her anorak and armed with her flashlight. With the new batteries I  could re-programme the transmitter and we are once again cosy in a warm house. Thank you very much, Sally. We couldn't ask for a better neighbour.

Would many people be as kind as Sally? I don’t know. But I’m learning to expect - and ask for and accept - the help people in this little place at the end of the valley, this tiny town I call My World are willing to give.




For more contributions to Our World Tuesday click on the link.


45 comments:

  1. You richly deserve such kindness!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    ~ > < } } ( ° > <3

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  2. Hi Friko, I had been meaning to get over and say hello. More snow today in new England. The picture at the top of your post is beautiful. It is really wonderful to have good neighbors isn't it.

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  3. There are many kind and good people in the world, without an ulterior motive between them. Truly.
    We have such a neighbour now, and I have had similar neighbours before. Sometimes I think, for me, the secret is in being willing to accept help when it is offered.
    Because I got sick and had to quit working at what I considered an embarrassingly young age, I had to learn gracious acceptance whether I wanted to or not.
    I am glad you have such a good neighbour as Sally. Bless her.
    K

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  4. I'm sure Sally knows (as I do) that you would do the same for her. There's more kindness in the world than we sometimes realize but every now and then, we're pleasantly reminded.

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  5. Second what Hilary has said. Seems to me you two, and Millie, too, take great pains to be part of and foster community where you are. Glad, above all, your house is warm again. Not fun to shiver in the damp and cold. (Though, from your photograph, looks like you've have a lovely reprieve here and there.)

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  6. Maybe you don't know about the general kindness of people because you hate to impose and ask for a favor. I get the impression that you are the sort of woman who likes to solve her own problems as much as possible. You'd be surprised at how many people are willing to help if you ask them to. xox

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  7. smiles...it is cool to have those in our life like sally...that give help without asking anything in return...kind hearts...says much about the person she is ..as for accepting help its something i have had to work on as well...

    and Mary D rocks....

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  8. Oh, this is nice. I think my neighbors would be quick to help me as well. I am glad that both your house and heart are warmed.

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  9. I am not afraid to ask, as I would help someone who asked me. Also not offended if someone says "No". We are all different, after all.

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  10. A welcomed glimpse of early Spring in your top image. The obnoxious media aside, I believe most people are kind hearted at the core. We normally hear only about the wicked ones. Your neighbors are good as you are to them if the tables were turned. I have found living in a rural country setting as we do that our neighbors are always there too.

    Stay warm and snug and soon the outdoors will blossom.

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  11. I love those first few hours of good weather after a while of the bad stuff.

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  12. Thankfully, I have not only my kind elderly neighbours upstairs, always willing (and offering on their own initiative) to do whatever they think is necessary, but I also live close enough to my parents and my sister (10 minutes walking distance) to rely on them if something comes up that I can't handle myself. And of course, there is RJ, but he lives 35 km away.
    Sally really was very kind to walk across that dark, wet field! I would have of course offered spares if I had had some, but I guess I'd have stayed in and waited for you to come over and pick them up.

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  13. Frico, you're lucky, having such responsive, unselfish and selfless neighbor Sally.

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  14. I think there are lots of Sallys out there. I'm more apt to ask for help now than I've ever been in my life before. I give it willingly too. I'm generalising and am particularly meaning the type of 'between a rock and a hard place' kind of help. Like the spot you were in. It's all about give and take. Take and give. Or really nice is give without expectation of receiving anything at all in return.

    Have a wonderful week Friko in your little Valley's End.

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  15. As I work at a community center, I am witness to kindness all the time. The constant news about all the horrors that go on in the world can make us cynical but if you look around you will see that the common men and women out there are always there to help their neighbors. It is called being human and most of us are good, caring people.

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  16. Hi Friko - what a fabulous picture - glorious to see. Kindness is just wonderful and people are often so much kinder than we think ... caring too, considerate yes, and then those salts of the earth ... just lovely - I've been amazed how understanding people can be. Thank goodness for your lovely neighbour Sally - definitely deserves a chocolate and glass of red wine medal!

    I do hope you're not beset with too much snow ... and can enjoy this first day of the Spring equinox .. with a longer day than night ... we need to encourage your sun to play with us a little more!

    Cheers Hilary

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  17. It's always an amazement to me, to,o when people are kinder than they must be. Maybe the breaking down and asking for help is the key?

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  18. I don't know about "many" people, but the once who are living in my street, would do exactly the same and I too would help out whenever I can. We are not hanging together and sometimes don't see each other for weeks, but when it comes to a problem then everybody is on hand !

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  19. What a lovely post! I do not live in a 'nice' area as in a 'neighborhood', a lot of people are transients, coming and going and we live on a very busy street. Our neighbors to the west though are willing to give a hand whenever it is needed, all I have to do is ask.

    Your neighbor is a sweetheart, and I know you would do the same for her.

    Hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  20. One of those old Bible people said something like "It is more blessed to give than receive." You know, it's true. People like to be able to help people. Strange though, for some reason, help is a hard thing to accept graciously isn't it?

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    1. Not so strange at all, Mr. Charleston. A lot of people fear that accepting someone's help indebts them, and they want to keep their independence.

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  21. I think it's a few and far between act of kindness these days. There are some great friends out there but people seem much more selfish than they used to do. We do have a great farming community here but the favour-for-a-favour that used to be the norm is slowly dwindling, and I find that a real shame.

    CJ x

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  22. I DO think most people are just waiting for an opportunity to be kind. Only about 2% are self-centered creeps. But then again I am a socialist liberal that has never/rarely been dismayed too often by those creeps.

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  23. ja het straalt ook een enorme rust uit.

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  24. I started out reading all the comments but finally gave up, you have so many. Your post has obviously touched others, too. What a wonderful neighbor, and yes, I am sure you would have been more than willing to help out your neighbor as well. Your post made me smile. :-)

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  25. Sally sounds like a gem. A good friend and neighbor. I suspect that most people want to help when they can. But sometimes they need to be asked. It feels good to be able to offer something -- whether it is a furnace part, a casserole or help with the garden. I'm so delighted that this happened, to affirm (or hopefully reaffirm) Anne Frank's words -- In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.

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  26. Now that is a good neighbor...I have one of those too!! Blessings all
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  27. There is so much kindness out there, but sometimes we forget to ask or it is just obscured by the clouds. Your neighbour was like the sun coming out over the valley, transforming your world.

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  28. Excellent neighbors make a big difference in the quality of one's life I think.

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  29. I think there a lot of people like Sally...but they don't know you need help unless you tell them.

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  30. You meet them at work at school and at play, they are angels in disquise. Dianne

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  31. Dear Friko, like you, I try never to miss Mary's blog. And like Mary, I think your thoughts about yourself are often a little off center. You accept life on its own terms and I find that wholly admirable.

    I've been away from blogging for awhile due to some health problems and so I've missed a number of your posts. But always I return for a healthy dose of the reality of today as I spend my time writing the on-line memoir of my youth and younger years. You keep today in perspective for me. Thank you. Peace.

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  32. I think we find kindness in proportion to how much we expect to find. It certainly is a bonus when we find more than we were expecting! I think people for the most part will be kind and helpful if given the chance.........Of course there are always exceptions!

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  33. Kindness is one of the best attributes of us human beings! :-)

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  34. My experience (always in the countryside) is that people can be and usually are enormously helpful and neighbourly, witness our busy farmer neighbour bringing his digger to help us with our septic tank problem. Don't be afraid to ask for, and where possible offer, help.

    I love your photo of our beautiful Welsh Marches countryside.

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  35. I'm glad you have such wonderful people around you, dear Friko. True, one does feel blessed in such times and the world indeed feels one perfect, happy place.

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  36. I suspect you might be as kind as Sally in such circumstances.

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  37. Love reading your sharing and your words.
    You come across
    kind to me
    and I am thousands of miles away :)

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  38. I trust someone like you much more than someone who is always claiming to love everyone. The love everyones often love(or even like) in theory only. Relationships can be complex & exhausting at times. From reading your blog a while, I believe you do recognize the humanity(& foibles) in everyone, but that doesn't mean you want to cuddle up to each & every one :o.

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  39. Hallo Friko,
    finde ich auch wichtig, freundliche Nachbarn zu haben, mit denen man gut auskommt. Man respektiert sich und hilft sich gegenseitig. Schlimm finde ich - wie bei einer Cousine von meiner Frau - wenn man wegen Nachbarschaftsstreitigkeiten vor Gericht hängt. Diese Energie, sich gegenseitig zu befeinden, hätte man produktiver irgendwo anders einsetzen können.

    Grüße Dieter

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  40. It is so nice for you to have such friendly neighbors. We don’t have friendly neighbors here, but used to in other towns where we lived. It does make a difference to be surrounded by kindness rather than being isolated. I really like your picture – it looks like spring is coming back to your village.

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  41. In my work I see the worst of mankind, but even there I see things that convince me that at our very core, we humans are programmed to want to do good - to be kind - to help. Yes there is ample evidence to the contrary, and history is full of it, but I still see the good, every day.

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  42. What great kindness your neighbour showed you.

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  43. Lovely to receive such generosity when it's least expected. Perhaps it's because I think the best of people, but I've been on the receiving end of a lot of this type of kindness. Thankfully, I might add. I try to remember to pass it on when I can. The smallest kindnesses are often the best and the most life-sustaining, connecting us to each other.

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