Hit & Miss

We just came back from a little family vacation in Vail, CO where we spent several days enjoying the quiet beauty of the mountains.  It’s a total perk  of living in Colorado Springs that we get to take these amazing vacations in our “backyard.”  And Vail, well –  it’s a family favorite. We’ve been going to the same little cabin for 8 years now.  A wonderful family in Denver owns it and they always keep our names on their “back up” list in case they have vacancies. I just love feeling like we are truly “part” of this little peace of heaven.

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The view from our little Vail escape

We spent a couple of days biking, hiking and hanging out.   Since I started this blog, I’ve been more aware of what is happening and keep a closer eye on the general comings and goings around me.   The first day I noticed a little guy – probably 3 – all by himself walking from shop to shop.  I stopped and watched him for a few minutes – worried he was truly alone  and not just a bit ahead of his family.  After a short while, he wandered off with a bigger group – and happily my assistance wasn’t needed. 🙂

A couple of hours later we were having dinner at a busy pizza place and I noticed a cell phone plugged into a wall but no one around it – the table nearby had cleared out about 20 minutes before.   I mentioned the phone to our waitress (who was just about to step on it) and she promptly unplugged it and took it up front for safe keeping.  I was doubly proud of myself. 🙂  First – I saved the phone from an untimely foot stomp AND got it to the front desk where it could be easily picked up by its owner.   As I was patting myself on my back, I noticed a women several tables over glance our way, get visibly upset and begin to quickly walk towards our table.   She looked at me – then toward the floor where the “abandoned” cell phone was – and back at me again. Apparently the phone wasn’t left behind – just being charged a few tables away from the owner.  She was NOT pleased.  Oh well…can’t win ’em all, right?

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Good deed gone awry!

I was, however, able to redeem myself just a little bit later when the kids were at the fountain and playground.  While they ran around like crazy – jumping through the fountain and climbing all over the play structures – I noticed an elaborate balloon sword was blowing across the ground.   As a parent – I just KNEW losing that balloon spelled nothing but heartache – for the kiddo AND the poor parents who would have to try to find a replacement.   I leaped into action and promptly grabbed the balloon before it could blow away and stuck it securely into the bench where its owner would easily find it.

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Balloon crisis averted!

So, while nothing I did was extraordinary, I still feel good about it.  I like to think that this journey is making me more aware in general, and as a result I am a kinder, gentler person as a whole.   And that’s a good thing, right?

 


10 Responses to Hit & Miss

  1. It’s definitely a good thing to become “a kinder, gentler person”. It really does begin with just being more aware of those around you. Thanks for making us more aware of that!:) This past week, a flyer was left in our mailbox with a picture of a missing cat (Lucy). I looked for Lucy every time I went outside and actually saw her in our backyard. I quickly called the owner and of course, tried to get the cat to come to me. She scooted off into the woods though, so by the time her owner got there, Lucy was nowhere to be found. But at least, her owner knew that Lucy hadn’t wandered too far away from home. I left food and water out the rest of the week, and called Lucy’s owner after a few days. I was so glad when she reported that Lucy had finally been found the day before in the woods. We cried together, and though I really didn’t do much, Lucy’s owner said that it meant so much just to know that Lucy was alive. It kept her hope alive enough to keep traipsing through the woods for three more days until she finally found Lucy!

    • Jeanine – that is awesome! I think the little things are just as important as the big ones! You totally helped and were there for support plus took time out of your day to look for Lucy! I love it!!!

  2. I love what you are doing, and I am on board! I am currently taking time to say thank you to everyone who helps me during the day, and it’s so nice to see the reactions of people genuinely grateful for the appreciation. Love the blog! Wendy

  3. Kim, both your good deed with the cell phone, and Jeanine’s good deed with the lost cat, reminded me of a time when I saw a “Lost Cat” flyer taped to a lamp post in my neighborhood and then shortly afterward saw the cat in question. I grabbed the cat, took her home and put her in my cat’s large shipping crate while I called the owner. A half hour later the owner called me, very upset, because, guess what? Those flyers (and there were more than just the one that I took off the pole) had been taped up there more than 2 weeks before, when her cat was actually lost. The cat had since returned home but the owner hadn’t bothered to go out and remove the Lost Cat flyers from the neighborhood. She was quite annoyed that she would have to come to my house (a very short distance) and retrieve her cat, and was further annoyed that I had put her cat (for safekeeping) in my cat’s shipping crate because she said the cat didn’t like to be “contained”. (I had purposely put her in the large crate, rather than my cat’s much smaller carrier, so that she wouldn’t feel as confined). So much for good intentions.

    So……the whole experience was a bit of a downer as I was annoyed that she was so rude and had ruined my “good deed experience”, which I was initially basking in! But, don’t let somebody like “cell phone woman” put you off. Besides, if she is foolish enough to plug her phone in somewhere – not close by – and expect that it’s still going to be there minutes later, well, let’s just say, she’ll find out the hard way that not everybody is a “good deeder” like you.

    Looking forward to your upcoming posts!

    Ada

    • That is too funny! LOL – if she was going to be upset that people found her pet then she should have removed the signs right away. Geez – no good deed! We’ve just got to keep it up and ride past crabby peeps with cranky ‘tudes. 🙂

  4. I decided on a simple thing to start with. I work at the reception desk and as couriers drop things off I make sure I say “thanks for delivering that” rather than just “thanks”. One courier stopped and told me that it was his job, to deliver packages, so I told him that I’m sure they do a fine job delivering parcels all day every day but usually only hear when something is lost or broken. So I’m going to tell them when they’re doing something right. It’s simple and is only three extra words to the four or five courier people who I see each day.

    • Love it! Little things can add up and I bet you are right that they only hear complaints – so you are doing a good thing by sharing a little extra kindness! 🙂

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