A few weeks ago I was reading a blog post of a new blogger when the blogger commented that she had lost her USB lead for the camera and had been waiting for another to come in the post for several weeks. I sympathised but said that I'd been waiting for a lead for two months only to be told that the lead was no longer being produced for the piece of equipment that had been supplied.
I could not find one anywhere in the UK but I discovered that it was readily available on Amazon.com in the US but not suppliable to a UK or NZ address. I did find one US supplier who would send one but he wanted an exorbitant price plus $40 to post it. So I had cut my losses and abandoned the project.
I received an immediate email asking what it was I needed and offering to obtain it from Amazon, have it shipped to friends in the US (the blogger does not live in the US) who would ship it to me. I have learned that when people make offers like that they are unlikely to have made the offer if they didn't mean it. So I gratefully accepted and before I could blink the wheels had been set in motion.
The cable arrived yesterday. It's brilliant.
What makes this even more exceptional is that when I tried to reimburse everyone involved for the cost of the item and the postage etc I was met with a very curt response. A person who a few weeks previously had been a complete stranger had done me a really good favour on the basis that I, in my turn, would one day do something for someone who would, in all probability, not be her.
There are some lovely people in the world.
So today I am thankful to a have a new Blogland friend who has re-affirmed my belief that those in the circle of Bloggers in which I find myself are a wonderful people. I am a very lucky person.
That's lovely! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Carol.
DeleteGraham, I have maybe not learnt much in my life yet, but I have learnt that, most of the time, if people offer such specific help, they truly mean it - and that when I ask someone directly for help (within reasonable bounds, of course), it is rare to be met with rejection. I am under no illusion as to the fact that, as a species, we are terribly good at causing each other endless pain and killing each other, but there is also a huge part of us which is, plain and simple, good.
ReplyDeleteI suspect from what I know of you Meike you have learned a very great deal in your life (short though it may be relative to mine) and I wholly concur with your last statement..
DeleteLovely. Your blog reminded me of a song - The Chain of Love by Clay Walker:
ReplyDeleteHe was driving home one evening,
In his beat up Pontiac
When an old lady flagged him down,
Her Mercedes had a flat
He could see that she was frightened,
Standing out there in the snow
'Til he said I'm here to help you ma'am,
By the way my name is Joe
She said I'm from St. Louis,
And I'm only passing through
I must have seen a hundred cars go by,
This is awful nice of you
When he changed the tire,
And closed her trunk
And was about to drive away,
She said how much do I owe you
Here's what he had to say
You don't owe me a thing, I've been there too
Someone once helped me out,
Just the way I'm helping you
If you really want to pay me back,
Here's what you do
Don't let the chain of love end with you
Well a few miles down the road,
The lady saw a small cafe
She went in to grab a bite to eat,
And then be on her way
But she couldn't help but notice,
How the waitress smiled so sweet
And how she must've been eight months along,
And dead on her feet
And though she didn't know her story,
And she probably never will
When the waitress went to get her change,
From a hundred dollar bill
The lady slipped right out the door,
And on a napkin left a note
There were tears in the waitress's eyes,
When she read what she wrote
You don't owe me a thing,
I've been there too
Someone once helped me out,
Just the way I'm helping you
If you really want to pay me back,
Here's what you do
Don't let the chain of love end with you
That night when she got home from work,
The waitress climbed into bed
She was thinkin' about the money,
And what the lady's note had said
As her husband lay there sleeping,
She whispered soft and low
Everything's gonna be alright, I love you, Joe
You put me to shame Helen. I so rarely know the words of the songs to which I listen.
DeleteI should have added, at the risk of embarrassing you, that you would think of such a song because you are one of the world's caring and considerate people.
DeleteThanks GB. The 'stories' in the songs are one of the main reasons that I like country music.
DeleteI have always been saddened by the asssumption of so many that people are basically bad/dishonest or whatever. Even our lovely neighbours were surprised and grateful when i went to tell them I had scraped their car.
ReplyDeleteBTW I am now your newest "Blogland friend"!
Good to see you here Frances. Thank you. And yes I had a similar situation to you about which I blogged at Rather a Peculiar Sort of Day. Despite the fact that my professional life was spent amongst politicians and lawyers I, too, believe that there are a great many Good People out there.
DeleteOi ! What do you mean 'despite the fact...lawyers...' ? Now, if I were a sensitive soul....
DeleteOh but you are a sensitive soul. Even you would admit that working amongst lawyers for 30 years does give one a certain view on life. The fact that some of the most honest and trustworthy people with great integrity that I know happen to be lawyers (yourself included) doesn't alter the import of my statement.
DeleteHahaha, I confess, your second sentence has a smidgin of truth about it. As for the last,it sounds a bit like 'some of my best friends are....(insert whatever group you've just been castigating). Anyway, thanks for including me in the exceptions, or for excluding me from the inclusions.
DeleteThe chain of love sums it all up for me...we are all here on this earth to help each other.
ReplyDeleteI always remind my daughter that she should always do good deeds....create good karma in her life.
I am more inclined to live by the biblical quote: "there but for the grace of God, go I".
My favourite talk show host "Ellen" always finishes her show by saying..."be kind to one another".
I was brought up by a kind and loving mother who instilled in both my brother and I that we should always be kind and loving to others and animals.
I have met some really nice bloggers too!!
Your mother did a good job so far as you are concerned (I don't know your brother so I can't comment there) and as a beneficiary of that I'm grateful to her.
DeleteEllen is on before the Six O'Clock News in New Zealand and therefore I always see the last few minutes and her words strike home although I have to confess that I do find the screaming audience at the end rather, er, hmm, hysterical is the word that comes to mind.
We all love Ellen...she is a kind genuine person.....a kindred spirit. I'm sure if I were in her audience, I'd be screaming too.
DeleteSadly my brother is passed, but I talk about him as if he is still here with us.
I'm sorry that you have lost your brother. I still tend to talk about my elder son as though he is still here. It's just something we do isn't it?
DeleteKindness to each other ... what it's all about, really.
ReplyDeleteOr, as the last bit in 'The Meaning of Life' says:
"Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations."
Ah. Katherine. Of course. As a Monty Python fan and another Good Person I'm glad that I know you too.
DeleteHow nice. It's like those "random acts of kindness". I know someone who is doing something called "366 days of kindness" which is rather similar. The good effects of such a deed can ripple out in the most marvellous way.
ReplyDeleteYes, Jenny, they can. I know you feel that way particularly given your advice to a former inhabitant of our Blogland who did demonstrate a rather uncharitable streak at times - but we loved her anyway.
DeleteLucky, yes - and also one of the "wonderful people" yourself :)
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of you to say so Monica. Thanks. We are a lucky bunch though are we not?
DeleteI too have met with this sort of kindness and am so often overwhelmed by how nice our little corner of Blogland turns out to be. As you say, GB, definitely something to be thankful for.
ReplyDeleteYes. We're lucky buggers so we are.
DeleteA lovely post GB!! A random act of kindness with the only expectation that you "pay it forward". I love that! There are many many decent, kind and thoughtful people in the world. Sadly the few who aren't like that are more obvious perhaps because they are VERY loud and "out there" in the way they do it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I too have discovered many wonderful & kind people in Blogland... it has been rather refreshing. My experience in other social media (Facebook mainly) has not been so positive. I prefer Blogland by far!! :)
I, too, prefer Blogland Liz. You are so right though about those who bring negativity to the world. They seem to be much more in evidence. Fortunately they seem to leave me and my Blogworld alone.
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