Friday 31 August 2018

The Good Samaritan.

My great grand daughter is coming on Sunday to stay overnight with her mum and dad.   She will be two in December and as they live in Glasgow I don't get to see her very often, so I am really looking forward to it and to preparing a lovely meal for us all to eat (there will be six of us as my son and his wife will of course be there too).  Lots of salads are the order of the day (they are all either vegetarian or pescatarian apart from me and my daughter in law.)  So I needed to go to our very good Friday market to stock up on fruit and salad stuff.  (When I buy victoria plums I need to be very strict with myself or I can eat them all before I get back home with them).

But first of all my son and I had an appointment at the bank in Northallerton - what a chore.   But that done we went into a coffee house and had a drink and then of course as the pedestrian crossing happened to be right outside Waterstones Book Shop we really had to go in there too.   I was like a kid in a toyshop it is so long since I actually handled a book when buying it rather than ordering it on line. 

Arriving home at lunch time I quickly did myself a jacket potato in the microwave, stuffed it with cheese and chives and good butter, ate it and then went into town to food shop.   Leaving my car in the Car Park I walked up to the market, bought my stuff there and then continued up to our Deli and bought a load of stuff there.   At the check out I told the lady I would have to leave my trolley, go back to the car park, collect my car, hope to find a parking spot near the shop and load the things I had bought there as I really can't carry two shopping bags when I already have to manage a handbag and a walking stick.

A young lady behind me in the queue who had only bought a few things and had put them into a rucksack on her back immediately insisted that she carry both bags to the car park for me as her car was parked there. We chatted as we walked, she came right to my car, loaded the two bags in my boot and cheerfully went off to find her own car.
I thanked her - I really was grateful - and it did me good to end a very tiring day by witnessing such a very kind act.   I sometimes think there is not much of it about these days but it restored my faith in humanity.   So here's another thank you to the anonymous young lady who helped me so kindly.
I am now going to make myself a cup of tea and rest for the remainder of the evening and start the book I bought (Ian McEwan's The Children Act - I always prefer reading the book rather than seeing the film which seems to be getting mixed reviews).

23 comments:

Barbara said...

An act by a good Samaritan certainly can change one's outlook! What a nice young lady.
I hope you have a wonderful visit with your family.

Rachel Phillips said...

I used to have a saying that I only read an Ian McEwan to remind myself that I don't like them. I made it into a piece of art and stuck it on my wall. He gave a wonderful eulogy at Malcolm Bradbury's funeral though and then I felt differently about him but I still don't like his books.

Sue in Suffolk said...

I'm sure there are more good people in the world but we only get to hear about the bad.
Have a good weekend with your visitors

justjill said...

Have a lovely visit. So nice to hear of a good deed. There are far more than we ever hear about. Just a smile back is enough for me.

busybusybeejay said...

I am an Ian McEwan fan and thought this was a good and thought provoking read.I have booked to see the film.How kind of that young lady.It is my mission in life to make people smile more.If I am walking into town and someone is coming towards me I always smile and say Hello or Nice Day.We were walking down to town a few weeks ago and I could see the lady in front had a shoe lace undone so I stopped her and told her.I said would you like me to fasten it.Yes please.,she said.She had a black eye from when she had fallen previously.We had a little chat and she thanked me and said I may be the only person she spoke to that day.It was five minutes of my day.Nothing but it meant a lot to her.

Heather said...

I have only met my great granddaughter once and already at 6 months old she seems to be growing up fast. You will have such a lovely family gathering. Your mention of victoria plums took me right back to childhood and eating them straight from the tree.
How nice to have met that kind young woman, but I am sure if the roles had been reversed you would have helped her.

Bonnie said...

How wonderful that you ran into a good person that offered to help you. Such people are around and I thank you for sharing your positive experience. Maybe the more we hear of the good rather than the bad the more we will all be encouraged to reach out and help others. I have not lost faith in humanity just maybe in the news media that reports on it!

Enjoy your family time and that sweet granddaughter! Family visits are precious times.

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

It's equally nice to do a good thing and have a good thing done to you!

Margie from Toronto said...

I had a similar encounter on Thursday - I had taken my trolley to get groceries and had bought a bit too much. I had used the escalator down to the subway but then had to negotiate a set of stairs down to the train. I would have made it but it's a bit tricky as I use a cane so I was very happy when a nice young man insisted on carrying the trolley down to the platform for me - made my day.

Chris said...

I have read, and thoroughly enjoyed, "The Children Act". In fact I have liked all his books so far. I recommended it to my Book Club but, sadly, it wasn't selected as one of our reads. Their loss, say I!

Joanne Noragon said...

Random acts of kindness are really not so random.

marlane said...

Good for you to speak up and then someone could know what you needed and help you.

Alphie Soup said...

Another hectic day with a happy ending. A weekend to look forward to - Victoria plums, a new book, the family visit and especially the great grand daughter.
Busy, but good times ahead.
Alphie

Cro Magnon said...

There are still decent people about, sadly it's the uncouth ones who make the headlines.

Derek Faulkner said...

What a strange modern world of eating fads that we live in and pescatarian was a new one on me, whatever happened to most people eating anything. Now if we have people coming round for a meal the host has to determine what different eating fads the visitors have and go out and buy a range of different foods rather than simply cooking a meal.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

It can be difficult catering for all the eating habits of people today. When I was a child my mother only had to remember that Granny didn't like parsnips and everyone was happy. There are lots of good people in the world but their publicity machine is less effective than that of the yobs.

Librarian said...

My sister is vegetarian, but when I host a family meal, I simply cook what I want to, and she eats what she wants of it, leaving the meat out.
How kind of that young lady! To her, it did not mean much of an effort, as she was going the same way anyway, but for you, it made a big difference and, apart from being really helpful, left you feeling pleased and grateful.
Yes, there are many nice people still about. They are just not as "noisy" as the less nice ones.

Librarian said...

PS: I love the idea of you in the book shop, feeling like a kid in a toy shop! I imagine you hopping up and down with excitement :-)

Tom Stephenson said...

I saw a really bad design walking-stick once. It had a hook on it halfway down to hang shopping bags from. It must have been impossible to use. I haven't seen one since. The only Ian McEwan book I ever read was 'A child in Time', which I quite enjoyed - mainly because of the other-world bits and the humanisation of the Prime Minister. Then 'The Thick of It' came along and I came back to reality.

Derek Faulkner said...

I think the Librarian has the best idea re. meals for awkward people.

thelma said...

I think people are on the whole kind, and in Yorkshire, they are very friendly. As for different parts of a meal to please everyone, difficult, but not being a good vegetarian helps!

Anonymous said...

I hope that you are having a lovely day with your family Pat.
I did smile at the image of Tess wanting to know when her turn was coming!
I was thinking about your garden the other day and wondering what it looks like now.
Any chance of another photo?
Take care. I hope the coming week is a little less busy so that you can catch your breath!
Sue.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Vegetarian? My son has not eaten meat since he was 14 and he is now 60, so I am used to it. He married a vegetarian and all three children were brought up vegetarian. He is now married to his second wife who eats meat but they manage quite happily.
I no longer eat meat and, frankly, I just do not like it any more. But I love fish and have it almost every day in various forms from lightly cooked salmon to tinned sardines. In fact a table full of various dips, salads and cheeses together with a plate of good ham for anyone who still ate meat sufficed. I also made one of my famous trifles which completely disappeared during the meal - no no sweat there.