Wish, this is on my Aunties land, me and my pops help maintain as she’s getting up there in age and med issues.
Yeah, It feels good to help people and more so for family! I like doing it when I can. I really think it's sort of a selfish act
for me, really. I do get a lot of pleasure and self-worth from doing it.
Your picture and comment...........maybe my canna too......brought back a vivid memory of a good friend. My older friend had kicked cancer's ass once and lived 10-12 yrs more, before the shit came back. He fought just as hard as the first time. I think he fought this round for about18-19 months. He was always an active old man, especially for what he's been thru!
During this fight, the area around his house and small tank, had become overgrown and the area around the tank was unusable. During one of my visits, Doyce mentioned he'd like to fish his tank, but his leg wouldn't let him drive his tractor. Realistically, I knew he really didn't have much time left. I thought it was a pretty simple task to help give this good friend and very good man, a bit of just plain simple pleasure.
Not really that much of an effort on my part. He was not that far away, tractor, trailer and truck were already set up. My Uncle was taking him to the doc, a first time, for his infusion. I took the day off and went to his place and got everything cleaned up, mostly all tractor work. Took everything back home, went back to his place and hid my truck.
He and my Uncle drive up. I can hear him hoot as they drove up. LOL! As they come to a stop and get out, I come from around the corner. I hadn't seen his face that 'lit up' in a very long time. It hit me hard, still does, that I could make a good impact on a dying man's life. I really didn't think about it in that way when I came up with the idea to help. I was just helping a friend, nothing more. I knew he'd like it and appreciate it. I just didn't realize how much it impacted him. I've never seen the man show much of any kind of emotion. Just pretty even response to 'life', even with his particular tribulations, for sure.
I saw his bottom lip begin to quiver a bit. When I saw tears well up in his eyes. all I could do is smile and just let the damn tears fall. At that time in my life, I'm still pretty much in my 'business only' non-emotional military derived mental attitude. It's just a simple survival mental adaptation response. The only real problem with that, is the lack of
recognition of that fact. I
might have had that problem a
few times in my life.
That wonderful moment in this crazy journey we call life, was right up there as the top contender for one of 'life's best'! Right up there with the births of my sons and being by my Father's side while passing. If ya learn one thing from this long diatribe, ya just never know how one simple act of kindness will impact you or others. Roll the dice! Just do it!