Caring for Others
Discussion
Last night I was leaving OT after the match and walking across to the Quays area for a wine or 2. Walking that route with hundreds of others I noticed a chap clearly blind with a white stick alongside his mate who was trying to keep his unsighted friend as safe as he could be. My point is that as me as my mate and I got closer to them we witnessed loads of able bodied people just barging in front of this poor blind guy so we positioned ourselves either side of him and his mate and walked at their pace. There's a part that you have to cross the tram line to get to the quayside and again no one seemed to notice or care that this guy could only go when safe to do so and he ended up being jostled and pushed around by others desperate to cross over. We left him near the Alchemist pub and he thanked us for just being there so did his sighted mate. It struck me afterwards have we really become so uncaring as a nation? It certainly seemed that way to me last night.
Some years ago we were in London for a show and walking past as a load of celebs were leaving a do around the corner from Trafalgar Square.
Lilly Allen was there with her grandfather trying to get to a car but hounded by paparazzi. Noticing her grandfather was a little unsteady I put myself in front of the cameras creating a clearing.. they got to their car, the paps were not impressed
It was a brief but horrible experience, I know it’s part of the deal for celebs, but felt for her grandad.
Lilly Allen was there with her grandfather trying to get to a car but hounded by paparazzi. Noticing her grandfather was a little unsteady I put myself in front of the cameras creating a clearing.. they got to their car, the paps were not impressed
It was a brief but horrible experience, I know it’s part of the deal for celebs, but felt for her grandad.
I've had a spell on crutches recently. On a number of occasions I have stepped off the pavement into the road to allow others (more able-bodied) who are walking towards me to carry on.
Force of habit I guess, but I did have a WTF moment and made a mental note that I was going to dominate the pavement from now on until I am fully mobile again.
Force of habit I guess, but I did have a WTF moment and made a mental note that I was going to dominate the pavement from now on until I am fully mobile again.
Slow.Patrol said:
I've had a spell on crutches recently. On a number of occasions I have stepped off the pavement into the road to allow others (more able-bodied) who are walking towards me to carry on.
Force of habit I guess, but I did have a WTF moment and made a mental note that I was going to dominate the pavement from now on until I am fully mobile again.
I noticed my 85 yo Mum was doing this recently when we took her out for a trip to Whitby. She has sight problems and struggled to see the kerb against the cobbled streets we were walking on. She was dodging out of much younger people's way, each time putting herself at risk of tripping but it's a force of habit I suppose and she didn't seem to want to be in anyone's way...Those same younger people just barrelled along towards her dominating the pavement as you put it. A stand out moment for me seeing the selfish behaviour of some as well as the realisation that my Mum is getting old (stating the obvious I suppose, but it suddenly sank in that day).Force of habit I guess, but I did have a WTF moment and made a mental note that I was going to dominate the pavement from now on until I am fully mobile again.
A society which cares not for and fails to protect its children, or to care for and respect its elderly, is on the wrong path.
Couple of instances here, nice mature lady up the road from us, i spotted a flat tyre on her car which she hadn't seen and she works nights, obviously i changed it for her while she and my wife chatted.
Very old chap struggling to change his wheel in sainsbury's car park, i did the job for him after which he shook my hand.
The hill the lady lives on is steep and never gritted, when it snows everyone except for us and another retiring age chap can't get up the hill, we can cos properly shod 4WD's yet its always us who spreads grit from the convenient bin for everyone's benefit, John had a vested interest because his house is directly opposite the bottom of the road.
No medals reqd, no thanks reqd, isn't this just normal for crying out loud.
What saddens me is in these sorts of instances, in the past old sods like me wouldn't have got a look in because able bodied young chaps would have been there doing these jobs.
It isn't rose tint specs, the place was kinder and more caring.
Our society isn't going to end well.
Couple of instances here, nice mature lady up the road from us, i spotted a flat tyre on her car which she hadn't seen and she works nights, obviously i changed it for her while she and my wife chatted.
Very old chap struggling to change his wheel in sainsbury's car park, i did the job for him after which he shook my hand.
The hill the lady lives on is steep and never gritted, when it snows everyone except for us and another retiring age chap can't get up the hill, we can cos properly shod 4WD's yet its always us who spreads grit from the convenient bin for everyone's benefit, John had a vested interest because his house is directly opposite the bottom of the road.
No medals reqd, no thanks reqd, isn't this just normal for crying out loud.
What saddens me is in these sorts of instances, in the past old sods like me wouldn't have got a look in because able bodied young chaps would have been there doing these jobs.
It isn't rose tint specs, the place was kinder and more caring.
Our society isn't going to end well.
It’s cultural as well.
I had a stint on a crutch and with arm in a high tech foam sling that kept my arm out in front of me.
During that time I had a security guy help me in to a lift then sit me down in a cafe, order my coffee for me and refuse to let me pay. Staff in shops in JKT falling over themselves to help me.
Showing British stiff upper lip approach I refused to do sensible thing and sit around once back at home.
Had school kids carry a bag of shopping for me. Several times had pick-ups full of workers stop and offer me a lift. I did sit once on lowered tailgate for a short stint so as not to be rude - not recommended when you have a big chunk of bone missing from your hip.
Told to sit down whilst staff picked up shopping for me “I only came in for toothbrush” No sir please you must sit, I will get it.
Multiple times had people stop traffic so I could get across the road. On one occasion, when off the crutch but limping still, had a young guy pick up my daughter (3 at the time) and carry her across road to local cafe, without even asking me, whilst his mate stopped the traffic.
Had our local policeman (Mazda 6 they drive, very nice) offer me lift home numerous times from local supermarket/shops. It’s about 4 mins walk normally.
Just some examples.
Wife’s friends arriving almost daily with food during the early phase of my recovery. We gifted quite a bit of it on or else I’d have been 100kg by the end of it!
Two families down the road who jumped in to help my wife when I had my incident were bringing food gifts as well, not people that could really afford to do so. We repaid this during COVID, when they lost jobs in hospitality.
1,000 acts of kindness over six months.
Get’s me teared up thinking about it.
Mind you, if in a wheelchair you’d be f*cked here.
I had a stint on a crutch and with arm in a high tech foam sling that kept my arm out in front of me.
During that time I had a security guy help me in to a lift then sit me down in a cafe, order my coffee for me and refuse to let me pay. Staff in shops in JKT falling over themselves to help me.
Showing British stiff upper lip approach I refused to do sensible thing and sit around once back at home.
Had school kids carry a bag of shopping for me. Several times had pick-ups full of workers stop and offer me a lift. I did sit once on lowered tailgate for a short stint so as not to be rude - not recommended when you have a big chunk of bone missing from your hip.
Told to sit down whilst staff picked up shopping for me “I only came in for toothbrush” No sir please you must sit, I will get it.
Multiple times had people stop traffic so I could get across the road. On one occasion, when off the crutch but limping still, had a young guy pick up my daughter (3 at the time) and carry her across road to local cafe, without even asking me, whilst his mate stopped the traffic.
Had our local policeman (Mazda 6 they drive, very nice) offer me lift home numerous times from local supermarket/shops. It’s about 4 mins walk normally.
Just some examples.
Wife’s friends arriving almost daily with food during the early phase of my recovery. We gifted quite a bit of it on or else I’d have been 100kg by the end of it!
Two families down the road who jumped in to help my wife when I had my incident were bringing food gifts as well, not people that could really afford to do so. We repaid this during COVID, when they lost jobs in hospitality.
1,000 acts of kindness over six months.
Get’s me teared up thinking about it.
Mind you, if in a wheelchair you’d be f*cked here.
After an operation I have a sizeable chunk of my lower left leg missing. I totter about on a walking stick nowadays, and you would think a visible sign like this would earn me some space. But it doesn’t, sadly.
Most annoying are the bikes and electric scooters buzzing me in the pedestrianised area in the centre of Chelmsford. It has occurred to me, however, that my stick would slip quite easily into the front spokes of bikes that got close enough to threaten me.
How much trouble do you think I could get into?
Most annoying are the bikes and electric scooters buzzing me in the pedestrianised area in the centre of Chelmsford. It has occurred to me, however, that my stick would slip quite easily into the front spokes of bikes that got close enough to threaten me.
How much trouble do you think I could get into?
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