Good news, for a change
Today, you get tons of bad news from a few minutes of doom scrolling or news watching on TV. It can be depressing: wars, inflation, Epstein files, tariffs, affordability, etc. As I type this, the war in the Middle East is raging, and it’s worrying.
So it was nice last week to experience two small acts of kindness, which reminded me that there are still good people in the world. We can help each other and treat each other well. Even if it’s done in small ways.
Peppermint tea
I often sub for vacationing landscape foremen, and last week I had to put in nine hours in persistent rain a low temperatures. My work involved mainly bed finesse, which is a fancy way of saying weeding and debris removal.
Then a door opened, and a lady interrupted my “flow”. Would I like a hot peppermint tea? I thought about it for a split second, but since she was there holding the Starbucks reusable cup for me to take, I accepted it. Gladly. It was nice and hot, and since I worked by myself, there was no need to explain my ‘micro-break’ to anyone.
The hot tea was excellent!
A raise?
Now, let’s rewind to last weekend. I was helping one of my clients cutback his ornamental grasses. His property includes a high-profile corner bed, which is challenging to maintain. It was so bad, I finally convinced my client to bury it in mulch, and it worked. It’s the kind of high-profile corner where neighbours quickly let you know if they think you’re lowering their property values.
The ornamental grasses had a good run, so I took them down, and I checked on the boulevard trees. I always recommend making a few cuts every year, and that’s what I did. It was nice and sunny, too, so I had a great time. Then I left.
When I checked my messages at home, this client had given me a $10 boost to my regular rates! That’s rare and much-appreciated.
Do some good
The two small acts of kindness described above made me feel good. They also made me ask if I had done any small acts of kindness myself. If you get stuck, check this website.
