Saturday, November 8, 2008

The Seret Lives of Us

It has been a while since my last post. Partly because work has been busy. Partly because I'm uninspired. Mostly because I wonder what I should write about. Sure it's fun to talk about funny life moments and bizarre thoughts...but what if your head is filled with serious stuff? Do people really want to hear about that?
Most of you are also readers of MD and Al's blogs, so you will already be aware that although MD has deservedly found herself a wonderful man, both Al and I have recently lost ours.
It's sad, so sad, it's a sad, sad situation....
However, I will not delve into that now. What I would like to talk about are Random Acts of Kindness (RAK's) and how they happen at the moments when you need them most.
Al told us yesterday of a RAK that happened to him whilst on the train to work (I'll leave it up to him if he wishes to share the details), but it reminded me that through some of the toughest moments in my life, a RAK has occurred.
I recounted the time in my life, when at my first job in a pet shop, I turned up on the morning of a public holiday (so I was by myself) to feed the puppies, only to find 3 of them had died (viruses spread very quickly in a pet shop). Obviously I was distraught, but dealt with it, and then had to make a train journey home. On the train, I sat opposite a boy (about my age at the time - 16) who was writing in a folder. Every now and then he looked at me and smiled, then would go back to writing in his folder. When he got up to get off at the next station, he ripped out the piece of paper and handed it to me. Didn't say anything, just gave me the piece of paper and got off the train. It was a letter "to the beautiful sad lady sitting opposite". Nothing untoward was said, the main message being "I wonder what has made you sad today, and I hope that your day gets better...". No contact details left. That letter did make the rest of my day better.
Then there's today. Although I try and at least start every day in a positive way, I just woke up feeling....blah. It lasted all morning, until lunchtime, when I was waiting in a rather long line to be served. A man behind me (that smelt of Winfield Reds, and VB), says to me "Smile Love!". I turned around ready to belt him, and saw his toothless smile behind his bushy, stained beard - and I couldn't help but smile back at him. With a few more trivial words between us, I got my lunch and wished him a good day.
And what about the RAK's from friends? The spontaneous coffee "meetings" scheduled during a tough work day, the "R U OK?" text messages just when you need them, and the sacrificing of public holidays and Saturdays with your boyfriend to spend time with a friend in need. It reaffirms to me that the relationship that MD, Al and I have, goes far beyond a "work thing".
We're in it together now.