Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Here’s week six  folks – and this is one with a difference, because I’m on holiday in Crete (!)…but this post, and the good deeds that go into it, weren’t things I wanted or needed a holiday from so…here goes. Enjoy:-)

May I again appreciate and acknowledge Rosie, the inspiration for all these posts, and without whom the joys of this project would have escaped me.

http://rosieamber.wordpress.com/my-year-of-doing-good-deeds/

For other Good Deeds posts I’ve written, including the original, please check out:

Good Deed Weeks!

Monday 24th June

I attended an early morning meeting before leaving for the airport, so that my colleagues and I could debrief the month that had been while memories were still fresh. I left the house early to pick up the feedback sheets on my way to the office, so that we could look at what our students had said.

AND Good Deed(s) received: There were warm hugs of appreciation and celebration from my colleagues, acknowledging a job well done. My mother had very kindly taken the day off and drove me to the bus station, where we shared a lovely lunch before saying goodbye. The woman who sat in the aisle seat next to me on the bus noticed I was wondering what to do with the juice carton I’d just drunk from, and offered to take it from me and put it in one of the rubbish bags.

Tuesday 25th June

When I got to the airport it turned out…I was at the wrong one! Not something I enjoyed finding out at 3am, particularly as the airport I should have been at was an hour away by taxi (there were no buses or trains at that time of the morning) and this mistake (I don’t like making mistakes, and don’t usually make ones like this…) was going to cost me seventy pounds! A good deed how? Well…turns out there was a young couple with two young children shivering near the taxi ranks, having returned from a sun filled holiday without enough money to get a taxi back to where their car was parked. The driver said it was on my way so we took them with us. As we were approaching the boarding gate I texted my niece, hoping I wouldn’t wake her, to say Happy Birthday…in case I forgot later in all the excitement of being in Crete again! I listened to my creative need and wrote a poem on the plane…

AND good deed(s) received: The couple thanked me with genuine warmth and the husband tipped the coins he had in his pocket into my hands saying, ‘This is all I have on me’. Would I go so far as to say I’m glad I was at the wrong airport just for this moment? I do think the Universe is very clever sometimes, the way she plans things… My sweet niece texted me to thank me for the message of happy birthday wishes.

Wednesday 26th June

I created an obstacle course of stones on the beach for a lonely little ant, who was so appreciative he decided to extend the obstacle course to my sunbed…and me! I picked up some litter, including discarded cigarette butts, from the beautiful beach we were on and ‘played mother’ by slicing the watermelon to be shared between us. Whilst playing a newly invented game of ‘most beautiful stone’ I realised if I kept throwing the less beautiful stones into the sea as discards, there would be no beach left and got to wondering if I treat some people like those ‘less than beautiful’ rejected and discarded stones. Pauses for thought… Posted the poem I wrote on the plane.

AND good deed(s) received: While I was diving for pretty stones in a ‘lucky dip’ kind of way, simply diving down with eyes open to the mystery of the blurred underwater world and grabbing a fist full from the bottom a young girl swam up to me, apparently curious. Unfortunately she didn’t speak English and I didn’t understand what she was saying but I showed her the stones in my hand and just loved her curiosity and openness. My Dad lent me his phone because I had come to the beach with no paper and pen (yikes!) so I made some notes about something I wanted to write on his smart phone.

Thursday 27th June

Bought some postcards, and almost immediately wrote and sent half of them! Caught up on some work emails. Bought crisps and cold drinks for my brother and father and played beach tennis – a good deed to both my body and mind, and to my father’s:-)

AND good deed(s) received: Dad shared he was impressed with my beach tennis skills! I continue to be spoilt by the weather, the company and the generosity of all that surrounds me, including the owner of these apartments, an old friend, who unexpectedly delivered freshly cooked greens for our lunch.

Friday 28th June

Wrote the rest of my postcards. Juiced the oranges for breakfast and washed up after lunch. Replied to an email from one of my students, now back in Germany, who wanted me to correct an article she’d written for our community magazine. I made the corrections and sent it back to her, offering also to be a reference as she is wanting to return to the community with her son, and is looking for work.

AND good deed(s) received: Spontaneously Visited some (other) old friends whom we had first met over 20 years ago, when I was just 13 (!) and were immediately presented with a plate of melon to share and biscuits fresh from the oven, as well as the warmest welcoming smiles and hugs and questions of, ‘how are you, where are you, what are you doing, how’s your mother/sister…etc’

Saturday 29th

Hung out the wash. Bought ice creams for my brother and father on the beach and collected litter that was being blown around in the wind. Lent a friend my jacket, as she was a little cold while we were sitting outside to eat dinner in a taverna on our way home from a hard day in the beach:-)

AND good deed(s) received: Another day filled with natural blessings of beautiful landscape, beautiful weather, beautiful beach…and wonderful company, laughter, good food and interesting conversations.

Sunday 30th

I’ll tell you about today in next week’s installment…:-)