MY WEEK BY FRANCIS GAY

The silence and peace of the woodlands, At this time of year, With its mix of autumn colours, Creating a magical atmosphere, Scrunching through the fallen leaves, Kids exploring happily, Uplifting times to be enjoyed, By all the family.

Pete’s a busy guy. His days are usually full of getting things done. So, he tells me he was frustrated to have to spend three hours in town waiting for his car to get fixed. I asked how it went.

“I went in a charity shop,” he said, “and I saw an old lady put books back because they were 50p instead of 25p. When she wasn’t looking, I paid for them. I ‘found’ a fiver, much like the one another lady was searching her purse for, and ‘returned’ it to her. I saw someone with mental issues talking to himself in McDonald’s. I sat with him a while and bought him lunch. It was all unexpectedly wonderful!”

Pete still got things done. It’s just that they were different things, things that touched his heart more.

Slow down every once in a while. You might be amazed at what you see and do.

Yesterday, I talked with Terry the plumber.

“I’ve been doing this job for 26 years,” he said, “and I’ve never had a problem.”

Before I thought him big-headed, he added, “I’ve come up with countless solutions, mind you.”

This morning I watched three-year-old Ryan kick a ball in the house. It knocked an ornament off a shelf and the ornament toppled a lamp. Ryan gasped in shock. He said, “Oh, my!”

Then he raised a finger and added, “I have a plan!”

I never found out what the plan was. We were too busy laughing. But Gerry and Ryan remind me that accidents and problems will always happen, the difference lies in how we react. Do we left them stop us? Do we look for someone else to blame? Or…Do we figure out a solution? Do we come up with a plan? A local charity was burgled a while back. A newspaper ran the story and the charity were inundated with donations.

Last month, they were burgled again. The vandals trashed the place, setting a fire in one corner with paperwork. Local trades people heard about it and, because of the good work done by the charity, they gave their time, expertise and materials for free. They repaired the damage, made the building more secure, and even installed a much-needed kitchen area.

“It would be easy to be depressed by such thoughtless acts of destruction,” said Alison, who runs the charity. “But, amazingly, each time bad people do something like that, good people rally around, and we end up better able to help than we were before.”

It can be a hateful world at times, but – and I firmly believe this – love wins in the end!

Tom had been served by both of these checkout operators before.

They had always seemed so serious and rarely exchanged more than the basic pleasantries.

But this time he was buying The Jungle Book and The Lady And The Tramp on DVD (for his grandchildren, he assured me!)

A conversation ensued and soon both women were recounting favourites, where they had seen them first, who they had seen them with and how.

Laughs and memories flew thick and fast. Tom left feeling like he had made two new friends – over a couple of cartoons.

I think Tom got a little glimpse of what Walt Disney understood long ago – that no matter how serious and grown up we might act we are all just kids at heart.