Good, then I've told mine so I can share kindnesses done to me. In fact, I'll never forget this.
I've already mentioned a rocky patch in my marriage that happened 9 years ago and culminated in my husband leaving for 7 months (happy to report it's all good now). I was left with a 3 year old and a 3 month old baby. I was really depressed, as you can imagine, and totally exhausted. It didn't help that I developed mastitis. The really nice bit happens now. A friend, not a close friend but just a friend, decided I needed a rest. She came and spent a night. When I got up to feed the baby through the night, she got up too. I fell asleep with the baby feeding. Next I knew, I was being gently prodded awake. She wouldn't hear of me changing a nappy and she burped the baby and sent me to bed. The next morning, she basically hung around and looked after the little ones so I could have a sleep in.
Another friend would turn up with disposable nappies when it rained. She had her own little kids and not much money but she'd be there on my doorstep with the biggest bag imaginable, just in case I was having trouble getting my washing done.
One of my neighbours, a construction worker, would bring in my washing if it looked like it was going to rain and place it under cover for me if I wasn't home. Another male neighbour picked me up from the airport in my car (about an hour each way). During the return trip the baby screamed almost the whole way but he was an absolute angel about it.
Other friends would invite me over for hours or come and visit for hours, making my day go much quicker. In fact, I never really knew what sensational friends and neighbours I had until that period of my life.
Oh, and I did something honest and honourable then too. (I was certainly in no mood to tempt karma). I damaged someone's car in the shopping centre carpark and I left a note on the windscreen. They were blown away that I actually did that and, when I paid for the damage, the lady who owned the car turned up with flowers to say thank you for being honest.
"A dream is a question, not an answer."
(Therapist and dreamworker Strephon Kaplan
Williams)
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