Category Archives: kindness

Name Calling.

The weather was beautiful these past days – warmth, sun, and more time outdoors to catch a few rays and smell the freshness of springtime.  I like the coolish mornings that slowly warm up to a cozy heat by noontime.

Earlier today, I was thinking about being at the pool.  As of this writing, the neighborhood beach pool is still under reconstruction.  You see, it was sinking, and the entire pool had to be completely rebuilt.  Nonetheless, my thoughts went to last summer when I was at the neighborhood pool last week with Best Friend.  We happened upon two neighbors who began talking to Best Friend.  Eventually, I was able to contribute to the conversation, and that’s a story for another day.

Well, Mr. Neighbor constantly called me by a different name during this conversation.  And I constantly corrected him.  But either he didn’t care, or he didn’t understand what my name is.

Mrs. Neighbor overheard this, and she also attempted to correct him, but in a way that subtly made fun of my name.  So, she was a bit cutting, too.

I gave up on them and swam away.  I don’t know whatever I did or said to them.  In fact, I didn’t meet them until that day, and this whole episode with him purposely calling me by another name and she getting mocking flabbergasts me.  Their actions pretty much tells me what their demeanor is anyway.

Who needs to be around ghastly people like them?  I certainly don’t.

It is the height of disrespectfulness for someone to call another by a name that isn’t theirs and especially when corrected.

That is the state of this neighborhood and unfortunately, the world at large.  Little disrespect for neighbors and acquaintances is the new sport.

It makes me sick.

As ever,

●▬● ©2023 The Oasis at Four Queen Palms ●▬●

Excerpt from my upcoming book, “Diary from The Ridge,” ©2023

Complementary Compliment.

As a rule, I quietly go about my business during the day, and being the private and unobtrusive type of person that I am, I pretty much keep to myself, yet I don’t completely shut myself off from the world around me.  I just not a forward person with an extroverted leaning when it comes to the public at large.

Sometime ago – it was in 2021, in fact – I was at the grocery store with Best Friend.  Whilst we stood in the express lane waiting to pay for our goods, a woman zipped over in a motorized cart to our place in line.  She creeped up and tapped me on the arm.  What a surprise to me, especially since it was still in the Era of Fear of COVID.  She obviously wasn’t in fear, since she wasn’t wearing a face covering.

Startled, I took a half step back, thinking she needed to get past me in the checkout line.  I smiled, and she could see my friendly smile.

This time she touched my arm.  Then she spoke.

“No, no,” she smiled.  “Don’t go.  I just wanted to say to you how nice you look.  It’s so refreshing to see someone actually dress up these days.  You look so nice.  And your companion, too.  You both look good together.”

I relaxed and smiled even broader.  “Thank you,” I replied.  It’s so nice of you to say that.  It’s nice that there are a few friendly people left in this world.”

She laughed.  “Oh, there are a few left!”  And she made a U-turn and zipped away on her motorized cart.  I watched as she happily went on her merry way, her grey-white hair neatly coiffed, blouse and pants pressed, and her black shoes polished.

How refreshing that encounter was!  It made up for the rudeness and short tempers that seem to have festered throughout society since the world went nuts in 2019 with the longest flu season in history.

As ever,

✿●▬●✿ ©2023 The Oasis at Four Queen Palms ✿●▬●✿

Excerpt from “A Hopeful World,” ©2023

No Payment Due.

Earlier this month, we wanted to go shopping at one of our local antique shops, so Best Friend and I got ourselves together and first headed out for an early lunch.

We stopped by a little grille, nestled in a shopping mall between a seedy-looking thrift store and a storefront mission.  This grille has some of the best home cooked meals in our town, and we never had a bad meal there.

The lunch crowd was thinning out, and we were able to sit in a corner booth.  Best Friend ordered steak and eggs, and I chose a half tuna sandwich with broccoli soup.  We enjoyed our conversation about this and that, we ate our meals, and soon we were ready to head to the counter to pay our bill.

I caught a glimpse of a lady, perhaps in her late 40s-early 50s, who was at the counter paying her bill.  By the time we got there, she was gone.

Best Friend took out his debit card.

“It’s paid for,” said the cashier.

“I’m sorry,” replied Best Friend.  “What’s that?”

“Your bill is paid for by the lady who was just here.  You owe nothing.”

We both were speechless.  We were so surprised, so shocked at this, that we didn’t know what else to say, except for, “Wow.  You only read about this sort of thing in the newspapers.”

The cashier smiled.  We gave her a large tip (for she was our waitress, too), and we went on our merry way.

There are kind people in this world.

As ever,

✿●▬●✿ ©2023 The Oasis at Four Queen Palms ✿●▬●✿