A Glass Full of Water

Driving in Auckland’s traffic is often difficult and occasionally dangerous.  On this particular day I was a passenger in a family car. We slowed down and stopped at a set of traffic lights. Nothing out of the ordinary…then to my horror I noticed a large dog lying still in the middle of the road. The traffic lights were very soon going to turn green on the opposite side.  Long lines of cars and trucks on the opposite side were about to unavoidably smash into the dog. I quickly unclipped my seat belt, bolted out of the car and ran towards it.The dog’s chest was still.  I grabbed the collar and dragged its heavy body towards the safety of a traffic island. We just made it before the lights on the opposite side of the road turned green and traffic began to move. Now our lights had turned green and members of my family were frantically waving at me to get in our slowly moving car. I scrambled in and briefly closed my eyes. Whew. POINTS TO PONDER What was I thinking? I was thi...

A little bit of cash can go a long way to help people in need. In Raglan, we have two retail outlets that use spare cash from customers to help other customers. One has a discreet jar that is used this way.  “Nah. Put my change in the top-up jar please,” a man replied. The check-out woman smiled, thanked him and put the few coins into the jar. This money and other donated cash is used to cover the difference if another customer is a few cents short for their purchase.  Another shop uses kind cash in a slightly different way. Next to the food cabinet is a small bowl with cash in it. Behind the bowl is a pamphlet produced by some locals about helping people with their mental health. The funding of suitable programmes to help people in this regard can be precarious, so every little bit helps.  I’m sure there are other shops doing similar things in your community. They are staffed by people who meet all sorts from all walks of life. They understand that generosity of spirit a...

My younger sister Jenny gave me this story to share with you. She is the Senior Parenting Coach/Presenter at the Parenting Place, Auckland. I’m the fourth child in a family of six children and as you can imagine it was a vey busy and sometimes hectic home.  I was ten years old, obsessed with horses and had a pony of my own. I’d spent the day at pony club, riding and grooming my horse - so enthralled I didn’t even stop to eat. I got home tired and hungry and must have been rude to mum. My rudeness was uncalled for and I felt bad about it, so I slumped off to my room where I sat sulking and sad (and still hungry). A little while later mum knocked on the door and carried in a tray of egg sandwiches. The egg mix had parsley in it and the bread had the crusts cut off. It melted my heart. I dropped my defensiveness and instantly felt reconnected to mum. The sandwiches were made just the way I liked them.The presence of parsley and the absence of crusts told me I was known and seen. ...

This week’s blog posting is a little different and hopefully it will encourage you to see kindness in a new way.  Let’s do a stocktake of kindness around us. Take a conscious moment in your day to count the number of kind words and actions, not that you do, but that others do to you. You will be surprised how many times in the day kindness happens to us as well as from us.  A few personal examples to get you thinking.  This morning an old friend of mine greeted me warmly. He isn’t well, but he went out of his way to ask me how I was doing. Later in the Raglan Library, a library assistant went out of her way to help me find a book, all with a smile and pleasant manner. A few minutes later a group of mates invited me over to join them in their cafe conversation. Ordering my coffee, I was 50c short. The barista said not to worry about it. In the space of an hour, 4 kind things happened to me. Start counting! POINTS TO PONDER  Kindness  is intentional and does make ...

Cross-Country running and racing isn’t for everyone, including myself and probably you. Let’s leave it to the younger generation eh. Last week a grandson from Mount Maunganui won the Arataki School Year 6 Cross-Country race. Patch is a competitive athlete and was determined to finish in the top 5. Footage of the last 50 metres shows Patch winning the race! His mates are not far behind.  Patch’s mum and dad Ruth and Jake watched the race and can be heard encouraging their son and other athletes. Nice. We, including his brother and sister and extended family were very proud of him.  A photo of Patch after the race made me even prouder, as Patch can be seen comforting and encouraging an exhausted mate. Such an appropriate time to show empathy and compassion. I love that he was mindful not only of his own success, but also the welfare of others. The school motto of Growing hearts and minds Whakatipuhia ngā Manawa me ngā Hinengaro was celebrated for sure that afternoon. POINTS TO P...

It may surprise you that I enjoy talking with people…  For many years I had a stutter and talking was a form of torture. Now I’m rarely too busy for a chat and a laugh (Making up for lost time perhaps). Val loves to have a chat too and I love the way she makes friends  with supermarket check-out staff and is unfailingly welcoming to people she meets.  One of our Raglan neighbours had ordered catering supplies. The bread company personnel had delivered their order and walked towards our home. Val and I were working in our garden, looked up and initiated a conversation with them. A few minutes of banter followed. Then, ‘out of the blue’ they offered us a free box of bread treats. Eh? They must have noticed our confused looks, so they said, “This is our way of thanking you for being kind to us.” We  accepted their kind offer. In a good way we had interrupted their busy day and in their own way they appreciated that.  I’m sure that some readers of my blog will think...

I have had the privilege of doing volunteer work for a  hospice in Hamilton. A counsellor asked me to tell stories to groups that were attending grief counselling sessions.  My first thought was, what type of stories would be appropriate? I have told stories to many types of audiences, but this was going to be a new experience. I took a risk and decided to tell some funny stories.  The  counsellor warmly welcomed me at the main entrance. As we entered the designated room, she lit a few candles and introduced me to the participants. Lots of handshakes and a few hugs ensued. The atmosphere was peaceful and relaxed. I still had a nagging thought. Would anyone smile or even laugh?  I told my first funny story about getting into trouble in my much younger years. Smiles and laughter rippled around the room. Relieved, more stories were told and to my delight, a few of the group told their humorous stories too. Everyone was encouraged in their grief journeys including m...