Kindness, matters …

I’ve written about my unease of being alone in the home, especially at night, in another post.  I’m conquering that fear, but every now and then, it raises it’s ugly head.  More so when I’m feeling a bit tired or vulnerable.

Constantly ‘shifting gears’, professionally,  makes my spirit hungry for other things.  Sometimes satiating this hunger happens just by chance when I least expect it, like my last trip.

Usually my trips to the Wheatbelt region are so predictable but this time, there was no room at the inn, so to speak.  All the small motels in town were full, so also the B&Bs and there were no spare rooms available for overnight Hospital staff.  The secretary heaved a sigh of relief when she found a rental home and I could almost hear the plea in her voice when she asked if it would be okay for a night.  I agreed readily.  The alternative, of driving there and back in a day after work, was more daunting.  I attended a meeting before leaving Perth and it robbed three hours of my time, adding to my day’s angst.  I drove when it was nearly dusk, something I avoid doing in rural areas.The house was in a part of town I’m unfamiliar with and my GPS took me in circles.  I found the home eventually.  It was an old home with beautiful wooden floors, fireplaces, etc.  Inside, it had travelled through a couple of centuries in decor, but it was clean.  Unfortunately, several rooms were not on the same level, some with just a few inches drop which, after jarring my  back, made me more cautious where I was stepping.  I checked all the doors and windows as I always do and once I felt safe, checked out the fridge.  There was no milk!  It was getting dark and cooler.  I knew I would be wanting a coffee in the morning, so I got in my car and headed back to town.
The streets were deserted.  Even the sun had left the sky.  I have never seen Narrogin in this light before.  It was a moment that ended my frenetic day.I was uneasy in an unfamiliar home.  I reassured myself the floor boards creaked loudly.  Being a light sleeper, it was my only security alarm.  I fell asleep eventually.  I woke early, as I usually do, and was delighted to see a back garden was unlike the front garden.  It was very reminiscent of  Perth gardens of yesteryear.  Contemporary gardens in the city require less work but oh so sterile and boring! This garden was lush with grapevine, shrubs, flowers and trees.  It had a presence.
A pink geranium, the colour of hope, bloomed.There was serenity and peace in the face of garden sculpture.

As I enjoyed my coffee in the quiet a shower of tiny birds descended, like autumn leaves on the lawn.
Inland thornbill
SilvereyeYoung Australian Ringneck parrot

I was so enjoying the morning, I left my ironing to the last.  Soon it was time for work but the iron and ironing board were nowhere to be found despite the owner telling me it was in the house.  Fortunately, I had taken my iron with me.  (Having been caught out before in a Wheatbelt motel without an iron, I carry one in the car!).  I improvised using a towel on the kitchen bench top and got my clothes ironed.  When I stepped into the shower, there was no soap.  That would have been a problem for someone else, but not me.  As I’ve started to be mindful about reducing waste, I tend to carry my own soap knowing full well, if soap is left in the shower, it gets discarded.  I got to work 45 minutes late.

There have been some wonderful things happening career-wise but also some directions that I may choose to opt out of.  Prior to coming to a decision, the vortex within has been unsettling.  While enjoying the garden, I dearly wished I had someone in my life to bounce off when the shower of birds descended and brought this message:

You’ve had one of those days
haven’t we all?
see me stand before you
small and stretched tall

In those moments of quiet
you know this is true
there are those with ‘loved ones’
who are more alone, than you.

I opened my laptop and found an email from someone who had written the kindest words to me.  Although I told her, she will still never know how much that meant to me, in that particular moment in time.

The message I have today to share is this.  Never be afraid to be kind to someone.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

In response to RDP – Friday – Afraid