Saturday 8 January 2011

coffee stain


Although winter is my favourite and my best, sometimes I get a little miserable, and angry at those cruel clouds. It's been raining quite a bit this week, and I feel like I need a bit of fresh air. Two days ago we had one day of pretty beautiful sunshine, and I was inside crocheting some dishcloths, looking out the window thinking "yay the rain has gone, sunshine from now on"... but then the next morning I hear the familiar tap tap tap of drops on our window. I am kicking myself for not putting down my wool, pulling on my wellies and venturing out into the sun! Anyway, I am diverging, what I mean to say is, I need something to keep my spirits high between the cold and wet spells.
Well, yesterday I was walking home from town along the tram tracks thinking how I always see such wonderfully dressed old people walking here. (I have too many blurred pictures of the backs of strangers, its totally stalkerish and probably a bit illegal.) They mix up subtly pretty items of clothing, layer beautiful knitwear. On the quick glance they just look like another lovely old person, but then look more carefully and boy! can they dress. I have always been a key follower of dressing as a O.A.P. Even in my misunderstood teen years, I would pair up an Atreyu t-shirt with an old lovely red knitted cardie with big gold buttons (I later found out my Grandma had exactly the same one!) So I was thinking about how it would be really fun to actually make something of that, maybe ask their permissions and take (focused) pictures of my day to day inspiration..
Just as I was getting carried away with it all, I noticed an adorable couple walking in front of me. Possibly in their early sixties, the still looked completely in love. Then the man walked across the road to pick up a discarded milkshake cup and popped it into the bin, then returned to his smiling wife and carried on walking, hand in hand. I suddenly felt a rush of happiness burn in me. It is so easy to see the world and start to think that everyone is only looking out for themselves, this small act regained my faith in humanity. He then went on to pick up a few more bits of rubbish. That man made my day. I was so taken aback, that I decided that this is what people need to hear, small day to day stories of people making a difference. And I am going to try my complete hardest to bring that to you in this blog.

Sorry for a huge pile of waffling, writing briefly and to the point was never an easy thing for me! I just wanted to try and explain what I want to do and how I feel.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this. I agree that it is so easy to get down on humanity. This small story brought a tear to my eye!

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  2. Wonderful!
    I cherish reading stories or witnessing beautiful people do beautiful like this and live through them. Today I walk picking up some trash, because of you and this that you relayed. It is like feeling gratitude. The energy of spreading that is indeed powerful.
    Yesterday I was grateful for all of those in my world that bring a smile to my face.
    Some will never know they have done such... like when I receive a voicemail or email.
    Or some do know.
    Like the awesome traffic cop that stands at 23rd street here in nyc, who is straight out of a film... with her wild hand gestures and sing song voice telling the traffic to stop and go.
    Causing me to smile, I swear I could watch her for an hour.
    She knows because as I passed her, I told her that she was fantastic.
    She smiled.

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