This was the third year that I've rang bells and I guess I've always been lucky with warm and sunny temps. Well this past Saturday was a different story. I chose to ring bells before the crappy Husker loss in front of Bag n' Save at 114th and Dodge. No wind block and they don't sell coffee inside (I was looking for anything warm). Four hours of 20 degree weather with a wind that had a gnarley bite was a bit much for me. But I endured the pain with layers upon layers of clothes. Two layers of wool socks weren't quite enough though, my feet were pretty numb by the end of my shift.
Some things I noticed? Firstly and oddly, lots of people sitting in their cars. They weren't customers and they weren't employees. Cars would just pull up to the parking lot and people would sit inside for half an hour or more. One lady left after sitting for 1/2 hr in the parking lot, got her Jeep cleaned, then parked in the corner of the parking lot for another 1/2 hr. Weird.
Secondly, people were stupidly wearing shorts and short sleeves. Yeah, it was cold. Where is your winter coat?
Holy coldness Batman!
Third and most important, people are caring and nice. Not only do they throw money into the kettle with this down economy, but they were kind enough to help an elderly gentleman who just had foot surgery. This guy maybe walked a foot per minute. I was going to help him load his groceries once he got to his car, but two different couples were nice enough to help him cross the street and put his groceries into the car for him. Granted the guy stopped in the middle of the street, literally for five minutes to tell stories about his nice wife who was at home. There was a line of cars stopped waiting for him but nobody honked, which really surprised me! It is those kind actions that really make your day. Definitely good to know that there are still nice and caring people out there who will donate their time, patience, money, and even food to those in need without asking for anything in return. We get so caught up in our lives, holidays, and stress at work, that we sometimes forget that there are still good deeds that go unnoticed all around us. You may not see it happen everyday, but they do.
This was the third year that I've rang bells and I guess I've always been lucky with warm and sunny temps. Well this past Saturday was a different story. I chose to ring bells before the crappy Husker loss in front of Bag n' Save at 114th and Dodge. No wind block and they don't sell coffee inside (I was looking for anything warm). Four hours of 20 degree weather with a wind that had a gnarley bite was a bit much for me. But I endured the pain with layers upon layers of clothes. Two layers of wool socks weren't quite enough though, my feet were pretty numb by the end of my shift.
Interesting observation about the car sitters. The bond between people and their cars is so strong, people won't give them up or find alternatives till gas gets a lot more expensive.
ReplyDeleteThanks for noticing and sharing the giving, helping, patience.
My brother has rang bells before. He also said it was very cold. Giving some money is often easier than giving time. Thanks for giving your time for those in need, Mike.