Did you ever do a good turn for someone ... and get a bonus?

14 years ago

A couple of days before Christmas, when I had several items on my agenda ... when I went to start my car, the battery, that I usually charge some before starting out for the day, and had charged quite a lot more, that morning ... exploded!

Change of plan! I washed down several parts near the battery, to clear the acid, using a bucket of hot water. As the ignition doesn't like to fire when it's rainy, I did a lot of drying of the area, for many hours till Thursday morning, to no avail, then my landlord towed it to try to start it - no dice.

Son and his partner ferried me to their place and to a friend's for Christmas and brought me home, then on mild Sunday I hitch-hiked to church, and when I thanked the aboriginal guy who picked me up for the ride ... he thanked me for the conversation! Son picked me up at church to have lunch with brother visiting from Saskatchewan and brother and wife brought me home. Monday was a holiday and on Tuesday CAA towed me to my garage, then the driver dropped me in the nearby village.

After banking and breakfast I started to hitch-hike on less-travelled road to the city. After a few minutes, a van pulled into the side street from the direction to which I was going and opened the door, inviting me in. He turned in a nearby driveway, then pulled in to the wrong side of the street, near where I'd been standing ... and beside the house facing on the main street.

He got out and carried on a rather animated conversation, with some smiling, etc. with a woman in the back yard of the home.

After a few minutes, when he returned to the van, he told me that the woman had been a school-mate 30 years ago and that he hadn't seen her in years (since school?). In any case, he'd known that her mother lived there, but I'm not sure whether he knew that the former schoolmate did.

So - I'd say that he got a bonus for his kindness in coming back to pick me up!

He dropped me at the downtown area of a suburb, I walked to my friend's home, member of the executive of our city and former candidate for a seat in Federal Parliament. Wrote some cheques for political contributions and her husband, a distant relative, was going to drive me home.

Wanting to make contributions to several charities through our community foundation, whose office is downtown, I'd expected to take a bus downtown and then another to the edge of the city nearest my home ... but he generously took me downtown (he planned to do some grocery shopping for their New Year's eve party with friends), then took me home.

On Thursday, another mild day, I hitch-hiked to get my car and, among other things, bought a box of cookies and a couple of double pizzas at the grocery ... and gave the political lady her choice (she took deluxe pizza) then offered a choice to my neighbour who's given me sewing machine advice and they've been kind to me - she took the other pizza.

So I had the box of cookies to bring home.

But - I still say that the guy who came back to give me a ride got a nice bonus for his kindness.

And the neighbour couple who've been good to me gave me the devil for not calling upon them for transportation ... but I've been nursing that near-dead battery for about a year, and he's been kidding me ... and advising me ... that it's time to get a new battery! (Can anyone here say, "underwear"?)

I said, laughingly, that hearing me tell myself, "I told you so!" was enough, but that I'd be embarrassed to ask for his help, after having received all of that good advice!

Actually, I had a replacement battery ready to install.

When I consider that I'd considered renting a car for a few days over Christmas ...

... I was remembering Grandma's observation, that sometimes we can be " ... penny wise ... and pound (i.e. dollar, in our context) foolish!".

Sometimes the game of frugal can bite one's behind, in the end!

In my defence ... I claim that major part of the game is not to waste resources: they are scarce ... and precious. Wait until the rest of the world tries to live as we have: that'll be a whole new ball game, which some say would require the resources of four planets like ours to fulfill (and we won't be cock of the walk, any more).

I hope that you all have a wonderful New Year!

ole joyful

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Comments (4)

glenda_al
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
joyful, enjoy all your comments!
Keep them coming.

gcs
lydia1959
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What an interesting day!

Is hitch-hiking not illegal in your area? It is in some US states (see link for more info).

Oh... don't rent the movie "The Hitcher". Very scary, especially for one in your shoes. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: State hitch-hiking laws
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dotmom
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Friend Ole Joyful...you write a terrific word-picture. I enjoyed every word, and the moral of your story. It sounds like every one was in a win-win situation.

Yes I can say I have experienced a bonus from a good deed. When we lived in Montana and ran a small convenient store, I heard on the radio the local charitable organization said money was short that year and would only be able to give food baskets to those that needed them, but not give toys to kids that would otherwise not get any at Christmas. This was the week before Thanksgiving, and it bothered me knowing how much my grandkids got on Christmas morning. I decided there were 8 small stores like ours in town, so I called them while at work that day and asked if they would be willing to put a collection can on their counter for donations. (I told them what it was for). They all agreed, and I put an item in the local paper about the cans. The TV station in a neighboring town called me and asked it I would come to their studios to be interviewed about our fund drive, which I did. After appearing on TV, I got a call from a long lost friend who lived there, and we reconnected. Now that was a wonderful bonus for me. Oh. by the way our fund raising brought $914.00 for the organization to buy toys for the kids, and I still write, call and email that friend. God rewards in many ways. Dottie
monica_pa Grieves
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes, I took in my homeless sister and 15 year old niece, who had dropped out of school.
In the 3 years they lived with me, niece graduated from HS and is now working and attending college at night.

My bonus??
A year before mother died, sister and niece moved out, and sister charged(through a lawyer) myself and other sister with mistreating my mother and other complaints - and when mother died, contested the will for over a year, claiming theft.

Did you ever do a good turn for someone ... and get a bonus?

Comments (4)

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