The Good People In Our World

This morning I got up fairly early ... well, early for me ... and started getting things ready to haul out to the curb. There was a bunch of junk! I'm not completely finished, but close. I will do the rest of it slowly, take one armload or box full, then cool off before going out again.

Toward the end of my work this morning, a pickup with a trailer pulled up and stopped. I was thinking, "oh, no," a response evoked with the memory of the broken glass in my lawn in May or June. (A fool scavenger wanted the aluminum from shower doors I'd thrown out, and saved himself the problem of disposal of what he didn't want by breaking the glass out of the frames in my lawn. It took me a couple days to get it all picked up. I even used the shop vac to get it up from the sod. It was safety glass, so I wasn't as concerned about it being in the grass, but I knew when I mowed, it would be thrown everywhere.) The man got out and walked up to me extending his hand with a business card. He said that he is retired and they supplement income by recycling or rebuilding old appliances and the like. I told him I had nothing like that, but he was welcome to look for anything that might work for him. He and his wife looked and found a handful of things, tossed them in the trailer and waved their tanks as they drove off.

I continued with my tasks, and about 2 minutes later, they were back. They both got out and said, "Can we help you carry these things to the curb?" Well, I was surprised by this, and I'm sure my jaw was agape. His wife said, "No charge. We just hate to see you doing this by yourself." And without really waiting for an answer, they began pulling or lifting away!

When we were finished, probably about 10 minutes, I asked if I could please pay them $10. He said no, then he said, "OK, how about $5?" I said I thought I only had a ten, came in the house and was embarrassed that I had only $2 !!! I forgot I'd broken the 10. I took the $2 and explained my embarrassment. they both laughed and said it doesn't matter. They didn't want the $2, but I forced it and asked if they would stop if they are close again.

I came in to cool off, and my face was bright pink from overheating. I was wearing my bright pink t-shirt that says, "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it," (thanks for that tip, patti-cakes!!) (and I was doing just what the shirt demands!!) and my face was the same color. I washed and sat under a fan while I drank another 24 oz. of water. I'm fine. In fact I was OK within 15-20 minutes and I've got more ready to take out later on.

I was encouraged to have these two people help as they did. I've been very cynical lately because of contractors not showing up or returning calls, so this turnabout was welcome. I'm a person who trusts pretty easily. I give people the benefit of the doubt. But once I've been crossed, taken advantage of, I get really pissy. I've also felt I am a good judge of character, and it is rare that I give a person my trust that I get burned. Recently, I've doubted my judgment. A lot. But I don't want to live my life in a sour state of cynicism. I watched my husband do that, and he dried up inside. He was awfully unhappy in the end of his life and had pushed away from friends and even family to a degree. So I have been trying to focus on positives and work around the negatives. It is hard work at times.

I'm in a tough part of my life. Balancing the negative behaviors of "professionals" with my need to be finished is a challenge. Balancing the grief with the anger that my husband allowed the house to get to this condition is a challenge. Balancing what I want to do to make this house shine like it once did against the need to finish and go is a challenge. It goes on and on. It isn't fun.

So what keeps me going? Well, it's people like the two this morning. It's people like mrhaney who stopped by with kind tips (and there have been others of you who have done that over the months). It is my neighbors, Caroline and Laura, who have me over for dinner occasionally, or the ones who make me get out of the house for some down time. And it helps to do this blog as a way to vent, to share my experiences, good or bad, and to hear from all of you. It is helpful that family members and friends have called me and taken my mind of the task at hand for a while. It doesn't take a lot. And is nice that I find some of these good people as I make this journey. Good people make my journey exciting and fun. Thank you, Good People!!

PS - The weather is on. The heat index today was ONLY 107!!!!! Yesterday it was 115!!! But tomorrow will be . . . . . . . . . . . . 118. I'M STAYING IN TOMORROW!!! I'm so sweet that if I continue to glisten, hell no, sweat like this, I will melt, fer sher!!!