As I was getting off the plane this evening, there was a woman in front of me carrying a boy who looked to be about four, and she was pulling her suitcase behind her. We had to go down the stairs from the plane to a bus, and so I asked if I could carry her bag down for her. She said yes (they don't always) and thanked me rather enthusiastically. She thanked me again in several languages when we got to the bottom.
Being thankful is good. I don't have a beef with that.
But what gets me is that, given the amount of time I spend getting on/off trains and planes, I have the opportunity to help people who look like they could use a hand with bags pretty frequently. And they often seem shocked when I offer.
I like to believe the best about people. I like to think that anyone in my position would do that for someone who needed it, but it seems that's not the case. Young(ish) people are not helping older people get their suitcase up the train steps. Men aren't getting up to give women their seats. Single people aren't getting out of the way to let the lady with the stroller get on the plane first. And it makes me sad.
I'm not going to do the "back in my day" thing. First, I'm not that old. Second, I'm not sure if things have actually changed, or if my ideals just don't fit with reality. But if we all held one or two more doors open every day or gave someone a hand with a load when they needed it, I really do think it would make a difference. Sure, I want people to be thankful when I help them... ideally, I want them to be thankful to God, rather than me, but that's a whole other post. But in any case, I don't want them to be shocked.
Just so this is not all a doom and gloom post, I'm in Stockholm and it's dark but pretty cool. Great to see Richard and Dorothy again, and Richard is taking me sailing tomorrow, which will be a real treat. There were, as I had suspected, a disproportionate number of beautiful people in the airport waiting for our luggage to come in, but I found a short, rather round, balding Italian guy and stood by him in a kind of non-Scandinavian solidarity thing. It felt good.
And they have 7-11 here, which may mean my first summer slurpee in a LOT of years....
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7 comments:
nice! i miss having you in town and going for slurpees and junior bacon cheeseburgers and super nibs. and doritos.
wow, you miss out on a lot of junkfood living away from here. i suppose that's (typically) not all that bad!
Hey, is that the Dorothy I know? If so, say hi for me!
Mmm. Slurpees.
Well, Jon, I'll be back for Christmas and we'll make up for a all the junk food not eaten this year.
T-roy, it is that Dorothy. I said hi, and she said hi back. I told her you're doing great now that you're out of prison.
Dandelion... that about sums it up. Mmmmmm.
Slurpees: What my mom used to bribe us kids so we'd be whine-free during our family paper route.
Gentlemanly guys who carry suitcases: I had to change trains on my trip from Brussels to Leiden. The stops were really short, the doorway was crowded with commuters, and I knew I needed help to make it in time. In a split second I assessed this and thought, "Hey, I'm in Holland; where are one of those tall, blond, broad-shouldered, smiling, hot Dutch guys?"
Voila! Made to order: He was right behind me, smiling away, and all too pleased to be asked to help.
If only I could add "Christian" and "a personality match" to the list and get a boyfriend that way.
HEY!!! I have the picture of a 7-11 in Stockholm!!!! In the old part (which part is "old") See Darryl, it's as good as if I was there too.
Mmmmmm, yeah. I mostly end up helping people my parents' age, so if I end up in a relationship as a result of this, I may need someone to have a gentle but firm talk with me.
Nicole, they're everywhere now. Kind of handy, but still not quite like having you here. 7-11 is a lot less funny without you.
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