My week by Francis gay
Itook some young friends to the circus this week. The range of skills on display was astounding, from trapeze, to high-wire, to clowning, to “wall-of-death” speedway riding, and so on.
Each of the troupe played more than one role. For instance, the ticket-seller was also the trapeze artist.
But the hit of the night was, perhaps, less skilled than the rest.
A boy of about 12 did a juggling act
Vickie has a friend who has a variety of problems.
For the past eight or so years she has been helping him out financially.
“But then it turned out I was going to lose my job,” she told me. “So I warned him in advance that I might not be able to help in future. He told me he was grateful for everything I’d done. But, I shouldn’t worry, he wasn’t my problem to worry about.”
She took a deep breath before saying what she had to.
“But, that’s where we differ. You see, I think we are each other’s to worry about and to help.”
At this point, I have no idea what will happen with Vickie’s job. But, I do know what would happen to the world if we all adopted her philosophy. With everyone helping everyone, and feeling we belonged to each other, this would be heaven! with Chinese diabolos, like spinning tops controlled with two sticks and a string. He actually dropped the diabolo two or three times but, each time he was attempting something spectacular and, each time, he just grinned, bowed, and tried again.
The world, like that circus audience, truly does reserve its biggest rounds of applause for the triers. And if that trier smiles as they fail, then tries again…they might even get an encore!
Jim credits a love of books for his good relationship with his neighbours. They chat, visit, look after each other’s pets during holidays, they each have a key to the other’s house.
By way of explanation he showed me the pretty fence the neighbours had erected between their gardens. It was just high enough to lean on – and there was a gate!
“This replaces an older, more ramshackle, fence,” Jim told me. “The gate is where two particular vertical slats were. They were fixed at the top but loose at the bottom. I suggested we leave them like that so our children could enjoy pushing them aside and going from garden to garden.
“Exploring the garden next door was the start of so many adventure stories I read as a boy!”
Books make good neighbours? Another reason to love them!
It sometimes seems like she says it all day, every day. As a checkout operator Carol asks every customer, “Would you like a hand with your packing?”
I just happened to be next in the queue when she asked the question one more time. The elderly gent, who didn’t look in the best of health and who was pushing his wife in her wheelchair, stopped and said, “Ohh, yes please! That would be grand!” So, she did.
Afterwards – as I bagged my own shopping – Carol told me, “I will happily say that 99 times to people who don’t need it so I can help the hundredth who does.”
That’s what we do when we put kindness into the world. We spread it around in so many places where it might not be needed – just so we don’t miss that one place where it is needed!
Music is all around us,
In the murmur of a breeze, In the songbirds’ lively chorus, Raindrops pattering among trees. A tinkly stream, a waterfall; The swish of waves on shore, Tune in to nature’s music, Which plays forevermore.