He was much faster than her even carrying her weight so they had been forced into this uneasy partnership.
She
had been stoic at first, ashen-faced but stoic. Then she had started to
wriggle and began to complain they needed to
take a break. She was polite at first, the requests made quietly, and
when he whispered they needed to go a little further she would hang her
head. Then she started to beg, plead and reason with him. Surely he was
tired, perhaps they should stop and get him some food. Maybe if they
stopped they would be able to get a sense of how far away the kage was.
They may have more time than they thought she had reasoned.
Then
she started to lapse in and out of consciousness. Each time she was out cold for longer and longer, and woke groaning in pain. Finally with the small shelter in sight, he
moved off the pocket of prevailing wind he had been using to glide
over the high passes. Landing as softly as his fatigue would allow, he
fell onto his knees in the soft snow. She had been unconscious for a few
moments before he landed, but she woke with a start. Almost instantly
she clawed away from his grasp and on all fours was sick in the snow.
He
was not sure if it was the hours flying or his mind playing tricks but
the sight of her struggling to get away from him only to throw up
repeatedly broke his spirit. There had to be a way to
release her from the curse, but this was outside his area of expertise. It plagued him that the kage had a talent he did not know how to wield, could there be other surprises?
After
a while there seemed to be nothing left inside her and he motioned she
should come inside the mountain shelter. He had used this hut several
times before. It was nothing special, but provided some warmth and
protection from the harsh storms that regularly drew up and covered the area.
It was also the most direct way west and he knew the area was
uninhabited.
She moved slowly and with some relief he
noticed her cheeks had some colour. He silently prepared the hearth and
she watched him as he made tea and a small dish of rice and beans. She
ate little so he encouraged her with every bite.
After eating she fell into a fitful sleep,
tossing and turning and murmuring to herself. He found it hard to watch her. So he left the hut and went to check on the
weather outside. It would be better to leave first thing in the
morning to allow them both to rest, but he did not want to get stuck in a storm and be snowed in for
days, losing precious time and allowing the kage to close in on them
like caged birds. When he met this man it would be on his terms.
If a storm was coming he would let her sleep for a
couple of hours and then wake her to leave again.
Looking
at the sky it seemed clear and blue in all directions with light
winds. No threatening cloud formations. Then he drew his focus inward
to see if there was anything further he could learn, any warnings on the
wind. He was struck immediately by the silence. There was nothing, like
he was in a void. No messengers flapping around him vying for
attention. There was only one vibration far away in the distance that he
sensed, hard to make out. He went back inside to check on her. She was
sitting up sipping some tea, looking worn.
"Anything?" she asked.
He
was not sure what she was asking, what she knew he could see, so he
answered, "Nothing close by. But something, maybe bad weather coming our
way. We may need to leave."
She got up and moved to the open door, leaving the cup on the table near the hearth.
He
looked with amazement at the clouds rushing toward them, they were
incredibly close. Where there had been a clear sky before,
the area to the south west was almost entirely black. She looked at him
stunned, "Was it this close before?"
"No," he replied
with uneasy concern. He moved to stand in front of her so
she could not see his eyes glowing red as he took his focus inward, and
saw instantly a tremendous wind on its way to her. A message, a warning.
Not caring about his eyes he turned to her, "A message for you."
She
had gone white, in shock he thought. Then suddenly before either of
them had a chance to move, they were immersed in cloud, complete with a
strong wind that did not seem to know which direction it was going.
Then as if entering a different weather zone, the cloud was gone and a
thick mist descended. He could only just make her out so he took a few
steps closer, unsure of what was going to happen next. Then as if in a
vacuum the whole mist seemed to rush at them and he inhaled sharply.
In a surge of wind the cloud and mist was gone, they were standing on the snow, surrounded in blue sky again.
He
glanced at her, and was instantly alarmed. She was kneeling down,
grasping at handfuls of snow and rubbing it viciously against her
wrists.
"What are you doing? You will hurt
yourself." But unable to grab her without causing her pain
there was little he could do.
"At least tell me what is wrong?" he pleaded.
"The
jasmine, he is following the trail of jasmine." At this she started to
wrench at her clothes, to get to bare skin, grabbing handfuls of snow
and scouring herself with it.
He came up behind her,
grabbed the cloak that had been thrown off and placed it around her
shoulders, saying softly, "That is enough. We should go inside."
She stopped raking her
skin but sat for a moment looking down at the snow in her hands, her
wrists red raw. She nodded and stood up drawing the cloak around her and he led her inside the hut.
"We
have to go west to an island off the coast. A woman will meet us there.
She said his name is Nakano, he is a ronin. He is some way east from
here so we have a small lead, but she warns to not waste a moment.
Should he fly he will catch us quickly, at present he is riding a horse.
He is following me because I sent you a message and the jasmine..... ," she added almost to herself.
"Do you think you can trust this woman?" he asked.
"I
was going to go to her after I met you in the forest. I don't know how
she knew I was going to do that. I had heard she has special skills. I
wanted to learn from her."
"Do you know her name, where
she is from?" It was his job to protect her and he would not go to the
island without being satisfied it was not a trap.
"Tomoe I think, she lives in Tsurugajo."
He
smiled to himself. She was a famous female samurai. Even Finn
with his limited knowledge of bygone conflicts knew of her. She would be
quite old now, but certainly a good person to have on side if she could
help Bianca. Finally some luck was falling their way.
"We
need to go now," she said "If you feel up to it I mean you must be very
tired. I can fly myself for a while, although I am not as fast as you."
He nodded. "Let's go then." And he shut the door with the hearth still burning inside.
August 19, 2012
The idiosyncratic- strange conversations
For those who have spent time with me in public, mixing with the masses, I tend to attract the weird or eccentric and ever so rarely the wonderful.
One sunny afternoon I asked a friend in her opinion why I had such strange interactions. The astute reply was "you make too much eye contact, and you need to raise your shields".
Right. Helpful advice if only I knew what my shields were. "Like wonder woman?" I asked. " No, like you are a tough bad-ass."
Right. Mmmm.
So while I master the art (this could take a while) of no eye contact and being a tough MF I will ocassionally record my interactions in 'The idiosyncratic'.
Ring Road, late evening
In taxi returning home from airport, heavy rain
Driver flicks visor up and down, shifting wind-screen wipers slow then fast then slow again
Driver, strained- "Can you see road?"
Me, waking from light snooze, leaning forward, tentatively- "Yes."
Driver, slumping back in seat, relieved- "That is good."
Me, alarmed, checking car position on road
5 minutes passes
Driver, leaning forward staring at sky through windscreen- "Bad clouds, very bad clouds."
Me, unsure what to say, but wanting to say something re-assuring- "It is only light rain."
Conclusion, driver needs prescription glasses and would recommend therapy for fear of clouds. He did not recieve a tip.
Johnston Street Fitzroy, around midday
Man approaches me, dressed in stained tracksuit, pupils dilated
Man, slurring- "Can you give me 65 cents?"
Conclusion, man has decided he really needs 65 cents, he is perhaps short this exact amount for the local laundromat where he intends to wash tracksuit.
Yarra Valley Parklands Bulleen, early afternoon
Elderly well dressed man aproaches
Man- "Do you live round here?"
Me, was he lost?- "No."
Man- "Do you know how many bridges there are over the Yarra?"
Me- "No."
In background partner of Man can be heard calling 'Robert, do come on'
Man- "Go one have a guess."
Chris- "55."
Man- "No 67. But your guess is better than most. I have taken a photo of every single one of them. Where do you live?"
Me- on back foot, gesturing Smudge to go back which I am hoping means she will run off in another direction and I will have an excuse to follow- "About 25 minutes from here. Sorry we have to go catch up to the dog."
Conclusion, man really likes bridges.
Have you had any strange interactions? Drop me a line.
It would be comforting to know I am not on my own.
One sunny afternoon I asked a friend in her opinion why I had such strange interactions. The astute reply was "you make too much eye contact, and you need to raise your shields".
Right. Helpful advice if only I knew what my shields were. "Like wonder woman?" I asked. " No, like you are a tough bad-ass."
Right. Mmmm.
So while I master the art (this could take a while) of no eye contact and being a tough MF I will ocassionally record my interactions in 'The idiosyncratic'.
Ring Road, late evening
In taxi returning home from airport, heavy rain
Driver flicks visor up and down, shifting wind-screen wipers slow then fast then slow again
Driver, strained- "Can you see road?"
Me, waking from light snooze, leaning forward, tentatively- "Yes."
Driver, slumping back in seat, relieved- "That is good."
Me, alarmed, checking car position on road
5 minutes passes
Driver, leaning forward staring at sky through windscreen- "Bad clouds, very bad clouds."
Me, unsure what to say, but wanting to say something re-assuring- "It is only light rain."
Conclusion, driver needs prescription glasses and would recommend therapy for fear of clouds. He did not recieve a tip.
Johnston Street Fitzroy, around midday
Man approaches me, dressed in stained tracksuit, pupils dilated
Man, slurring- "Can you give me 65 cents?"
Conclusion, man has decided he really needs 65 cents, he is perhaps short this exact amount for the local laundromat where he intends to wash tracksuit.
Yarra Valley Parklands Bulleen, early afternoon
Elderly well dressed man aproaches
Man- "Do you live round here?"
Me, was he lost?- "No."
Man- "Do you know how many bridges there are over the Yarra?"
Me- "No."
In background partner of Man can be heard calling 'Robert, do come on'
Man- "Go one have a guess."
Chris- "55."
Man- "No 67. But your guess is better than most. I have taken a photo of every single one of them. Where do you live?"
Me- on back foot, gesturing Smudge to go back which I am hoping means she will run off in another direction and I will have an excuse to follow- "About 25 minutes from here. Sorry we have to go catch up to the dog."
Conclusion, man really likes bridges.
Have you had any strange interactions? Drop me a line.
It would be comforting to know I am not on my own.
August 12, 2012
Play list- the last of winter
It has been a miserable weather week, with plans to venture outside thwarted by unexpected heavy rain.
But there have been patches of beautiful gentle sun to enjoy, however fleeting.
Still so much time inside leads to introspection.
1. Bon Iver- Holocene (below)
2. James Blake- Limit to your love
3. Sigur Ros- Glósóli
4. The Shins- New Slang
5. Eddie Vedder- Rise
But there have been patches of beautiful gentle sun to enjoy, however fleeting.
Still so much time inside leads to introspection.
1. Bon Iver- Holocene (below)
2. James Blake- Limit to your love
3. Sigur Ros- Glósóli
4. The Shins- New Slang
5. Eddie Vedder- Rise
August 9, 2012
Flight of the Warrior Chapter 11 - A frank discussion
It seemed he found it hard to refuse her. "You are welcome."
She pulled her knees up to her chest, drawing the cloak around her legs as she was shivered slightly from the chill in the air. "That was my second time sending a message. I was not sure how to do it. I don't know your name...so I had to remember other things about you to make sure I was sending it to the right person..." her voice trailed off and she looked behind her subconsciously, as if checking to see if she had been overheard.
"You did a good job," he said simply, then, "Finn....my name is Finn."
She leaned forward and held out her hand, "Bianca".
He took her hand, it was ice cold. She withdrew it quickly, another shiver invading her body. "You are frozen. Let me see if I can make a fire." He could make fire by summoning it but there was no wood to keep it burning here. "I can go and get some wood," he rose to his feet.
"There is no need, this is a hot spring. I can go in and warm up. I did that last night and it worked well. Will you turn your back?"
He was still thinking about getting firewood, looking at her dumbly and it was a moment before he registered what she was saying. He stumbled over his words, "Oh, I....yes, of course....yes." He was thankful his back was to her as his neck and ears flushed red.
He heard a splash then, "You can turn around now".
He turned slowly. Nervous, like a boy again, on his first day of school. "I am sorry to be so....brazen, but I need to get warm straight away. It will take some time for a fire to throw of enough heat. One night sleeping on that cold rock slab was enough for me."
He sat down again, not wanting to see her body through the water. The light was getting stronger now, the day was starting.
She swam about the pool for a while, no words passing between them. He watched her from the corner of his eye. It was hard not to.
She motioned that he should turn around again and after she was fully clothed she said, "I need your help." He turned to look at her, hair wet and tied back off her face in a bun. Her cheeks were coloured from the swim. He was in trouble now.
Looking down at his feet he said, "You need to tell me why you ran, how you ended up here."
She told him about the message on the wind, he had figured out she knew how to read messages when he had received one from her so that was no surprise. She told him how she had fled to the East, making the mistake that led her to this spot. She explained that she could not take off without running some distance and that although she did not know he was able to fly, she guessed at it and that he might be able to get her out of her predicament. She said she was very sorry to ask him for help, but she could think of no other way out.
He continued to look down at his feet. He would help her of course but he needed some guarantee she would not run from him again. He needed her to stay with him, and he had several reasons for that now.
It was a risk offering her an ultimatum, but he felt he did not have any other choice. "I can get you out of here. You will need to hold onto me, but I can fly some distance with two. We will need to jump off that small ledge over the river." He paused. This was tricky. "I will ask something of you in return."
She bristled. He had used the wrong words. Quickly he added, "I need to find the man who hurt you. As I said when we last met, I believe he will try to find you. I can offer you some protection and meet my obligations to my employer."
"You have made two assumptions." Her voice was very quiet, but he could trace anger in it. "You assume that I wish to be protected, and you assume you are his equal or better." She looked him directly in the eye.
"I don't make assumptions. I hope you want my protection, and I know I can capture him. But I won't leave this place without your assurance." He stood up, getting ready to go. He hoped if she did not think about it too much she would say yes. Rushing her thought process would be his best chance now. "It may rain, we should get out of here before it does. It would flood quickly. What do you say? Do I have your word?"
"You have a plan, a place to go? I need to know that if you are to use me like bait to lure a demon, that it is well thought out."
He felt as if she had hit him square in the stomach. "I take no pleasure from this situation Bianca. This man will not stop, and I am sorry to say this, he will come after you. With me by your side you have more of a chance than if you were alone."
She nodded in resignation. "We will need to set some ground rules. I will also need some privacy at times. Please don't touch me unless you have to. There is a curse, when a man touches me I feel very ill."
"He wants me to always be reminded of him, to always be reminded I am his. As soon as I can figure out how to break that spell.....it is that part that upsets me more than anything. My liberty is a prized possession. That has been taken away so life feels hollow."
"I am sorry," was all he could say.
She stood for some time eyes closed, head lowered as if meditating. When she did open her eyes the bright sunlight of the day had flooded the ravine. They were still standing apart in the same positions but something seemed different. How long had they been standing there?
She picked up her satchel and they moved to the ledge. She slid around to face him so that her back was to the raging river. Then she silently grasped him round the neck, circling one leg in his. He placed one arm around her waist and noticed her face fall to grey before he fell forward and flew out of the opening and down the ravine.
She pulled her knees up to her chest, drawing the cloak around her legs as she was shivered slightly from the chill in the air. "That was my second time sending a message. I was not sure how to do it. I don't know your name...so I had to remember other things about you to make sure I was sending it to the right person..." her voice trailed off and she looked behind her subconsciously, as if checking to see if she had been overheard.
"You did a good job," he said simply, then, "Finn....my name is Finn."
She leaned forward and held out her hand, "Bianca".
He took her hand, it was ice cold. She withdrew it quickly, another shiver invading her body. "You are frozen. Let me see if I can make a fire." He could make fire by summoning it but there was no wood to keep it burning here. "I can go and get some wood," he rose to his feet.
"There is no need, this is a hot spring. I can go in and warm up. I did that last night and it worked well. Will you turn your back?"
He was still thinking about getting firewood, looking at her dumbly and it was a moment before he registered what she was saying. He stumbled over his words, "Oh, I....yes, of course....yes." He was thankful his back was to her as his neck and ears flushed red.
He heard a splash then, "You can turn around now".
He turned slowly. Nervous, like a boy again, on his first day of school. "I am sorry to be so....brazen, but I need to get warm straight away. It will take some time for a fire to throw of enough heat. One night sleeping on that cold rock slab was enough for me."
He sat down again, not wanting to see her body through the water. The light was getting stronger now, the day was starting.
She swam about the pool for a while, no words passing between them. He watched her from the corner of his eye. It was hard not to.
She motioned that he should turn around again and after she was fully clothed she said, "I need your help." He turned to look at her, hair wet and tied back off her face in a bun. Her cheeks were coloured from the swim. He was in trouble now.
Looking down at his feet he said, "You need to tell me why you ran, how you ended up here."
She told him about the message on the wind, he had figured out she knew how to read messages when he had received one from her so that was no surprise. She told him how she had fled to the East, making the mistake that led her to this spot. She explained that she could not take off without running some distance and that although she did not know he was able to fly, she guessed at it and that he might be able to get her out of her predicament. She said she was very sorry to ask him for help, but she could think of no other way out.
He continued to look down at his feet. He would help her of course but he needed some guarantee she would not run from him again. He needed her to stay with him, and he had several reasons for that now.
It was a risk offering her an ultimatum, but he felt he did not have any other choice. "I can get you out of here. You will need to hold onto me, but I can fly some distance with two. We will need to jump off that small ledge over the river." He paused. This was tricky. "I will ask something of you in return."
She bristled. He had used the wrong words. Quickly he added, "I need to find the man who hurt you. As I said when we last met, I believe he will try to find you. I can offer you some protection and meet my obligations to my employer."
"You have made two assumptions." Her voice was very quiet, but he could trace anger in it. "You assume that I wish to be protected, and you assume you are his equal or better." She looked him directly in the eye.
"I don't make assumptions. I hope you want my protection, and I know I can capture him. But I won't leave this place without your assurance." He stood up, getting ready to go. He hoped if she did not think about it too much she would say yes. Rushing her thought process would be his best chance now. "It may rain, we should get out of here before it does. It would flood quickly. What do you say? Do I have your word?"
"You have a plan, a place to go? I need to know that if you are to use me like bait to lure a demon, that it is well thought out."
He felt as if she had hit him square in the stomach. "I take no pleasure from this situation Bianca. This man will not stop, and I am sorry to say this, he will come after you. With me by your side you have more of a chance than if you were alone."
She nodded in resignation. "We will need to set some ground rules. I will also need some privacy at times. Please don't touch me unless you have to. There is a curse, when a man touches me I feel very ill."
"He wants me to always be reminded of him, to always be reminded I am his. As soon as I can figure out how to break that spell.....it is that part that upsets me more than anything. My liberty is a prized possession. That has been taken away so life feels hollow."
"I am sorry," was all he could say.
She stood for some time eyes closed, head lowered as if meditating. When she did open her eyes the bright sunlight of the day had flooded the ravine. They were still standing apart in the same positions but something seemed different. How long had they been standing there?
She picked up her satchel and they moved to the ledge. She slid around to face him so that her back was to the raging river. Then she silently grasped him round the neck, circling one leg in his. He placed one arm around her waist and noticed her face fall to grey before he fell forward and flew out of the opening and down the ravine.
August 5, 2012
The Blog medal tally
Today I have met my first blog goal! 1000 pageviews in 6 months. It is a modest total compared to some of my blogging counterparts, but I could not be happier.
Not bad for an amateur writer with very little time, and a crappy mobile phone camera.
Thank you to all my loyal friends who have spread the word and continue to support my creative ventures. A special thank you to my 5 'official' followers and your fantastic feedback. Bloggers can very quickly lose momentum and sometimes you feel you are posting to the ether and no one is interested. It is because of your kind words when I thought I was producing foutaise that pushed me on.
Thanks also to all those who drop by when they can and in the true olympics spirit I can share with you the Blog pageview medal tally:
I am incredibly excited about the next 6 months with new content planned.
Hopefully I can close out my first year with a strong podium finish!
Not bad for an amateur writer with very little time, and a crappy mobile phone camera.
Thank you to all my loyal friends who have spread the word and continue to support my creative ventures. A special thank you to my 5 'official' followers and your fantastic feedback. Bloggers can very quickly lose momentum and sometimes you feel you are posting to the ether and no one is interested. It is because of your kind words when I thought I was producing foutaise that pushed me on.
Thanks also to all those who drop by when they can and in the true olympics spirit I can share with you the Blog pageview medal tally:
GOLD MEDAL: Australia
|
493
|
SILVER MEDAL: United States
|
229
|
BRONZE MEDAL: Russia
|
137
|
Germany
|
30
|
United Kingdom
|
22
|
Canada
|
17
|
Spain
|
9
|
Latvia
|
6
|
Finland
|
5
|
Malaysia
|
4
|
I am incredibly excited about the next 6 months with new content planned.
Hopefully I can close out my first year with a strong podium finish!
August 2, 2012
Yarnboming
A doily never looked this interesting!
Random acts of kindness
There is an expression attributed to a baseball coach from the 1930's, 'nice guys finish last'. I have always had a problem with this saying, and I don't think I am alone.
In 1995 Stephan Desrochers (Prof.of Social Psychology) wrote an article exploring the claim that women say they want a 'nice' guy but ultimately are attracted to 'bad boys'. I can see his point, I can think of a few examples in my own dating history that may add weight to his theory. But that was my own short-sightedness and these trysts were only ever short term and occurred when I was younger and less perceptive. In the end I got it right and married a 'nice' guy.
So my curiosity was piqued when a mate and regular bloke, Toby Culshaw, currently living in the UK, posted this on facebook
"Has decided to try do 1 unexpected act of kindness everyday... Could be buying someone behind me in the queue coffee, could be anything... If everyone did 1 thing every so often that would mean in england alone we'd have over 200,000 nice things every day of the year that we weren't expecting..."
He agreed to have a chat.
thesoundingline: What prompted you to try 'a week of doing nice things for others'? Have you found God, Allah, budha or kaballah? Or is it being a dad that has prompted a karmic rethink?
Toby: Well it was kinda out the blue. I popped into the supermarket as I was early to give a lift to one of the guys in my team to work. When I was in the queue about to pay I got thinking that there are 60 million people in England and that if everyone did one spontaneous act of kindness a year then on average there would be 150,000 good deeds done everyday!! And that's just in the UK!!
As soon as I thought this there were two children in the queue in front of me that couldn't afford their ingredients for their home economics class that day, so I decided to buy it and start doing random acts of kindness. This could be buying someone's shopping, buying a stranger in the coffee shop their coffee etc through to paying someone an unexpected compliment. Simple things that can help brighten up someone's day (and completely selfishly brighten up mine no end!!).
thesoundingline: Can we come back to 'in the queue' moment....what started that train of thought? Giving your mate a lift?
Toby: Sadly it's just the kind of weird thing I think when I'm bored. I've always liked the idea of random acts of kindness though. Kind of keeps people on their toes in a good way.
thesoundindline: What reaction have you had from the recipients of your kindness?
Toby: To be honest nothing unsurprising apart from the checkout person at the supermarket trying to stop me buying the kids stuff saying I can't do that. Weirdly though as soon as my next door neighbour heard about my plan she lent me a DVD of a film about this type of thing (on a much bigger scale) done in the USA, it was a good film actually.
thesoundindline: So the impetus came from boredom! It is good for something then. Was the movie your neighbour gave you 'Pay it forward' or a documentary?
Toby: That's the one... A surprisingly good film.
thesoundindline: So you have intent (I originally had the word plans) to continue this for life?
Toby: Yeah pretty much. I'm realising it's actually harder than you would think to find good things to do (beyond charity work), but I'm just going to go with the flow and do things as I see them.
thesoundlineline: It is called 'random' acts of kindness I guess. Have you noticed your good karma racking up, in that you have been the recipient of any acts of kindness?
Toby: Not yet, but I guess it'll come round eventually. In all honesty I guess it's kind of a selfish thing at the same time as I get pleasure out of doing the deed so even if it never comes full circle I consider myself 'up' in the scheme of things.
thesoundinglne: I agree! Well you have completed an act of kindness answering my questions. Many many many thanks.
'Random acts of kindness' is experiencing a groundswell.
In fact there are countless websites dedicated to being kind. A simple google search will provide you with inspiration if, like Toby, you are looking for a few ideas.
It would be great if being 'nice' was taught in schools and recognised in workplaces.
Oh, and for the record a 'nice' person doesn't care where he finishes, he just cares about being a descent bloke.
Any ideas of random acts of kindness to share with your fellow nice readers- click on the envelope below.
*Photo courtesy of Toby Culshaw
In 1995 Stephan Desrochers (Prof.of Social Psychology) wrote an article exploring the claim that women say they want a 'nice' guy but ultimately are attracted to 'bad boys'. I can see his point, I can think of a few examples in my own dating history that may add weight to his theory. But that was my own short-sightedness and these trysts were only ever short term and occurred when I was younger and less perceptive. In the end I got it right and married a 'nice' guy.
So my curiosity was piqued when a mate and regular bloke, Toby Culshaw, currently living in the UK, posted this on facebook
"Has decided to try do 1 unexpected act of kindness everyday... Could be buying someone behind me in the queue coffee, could be anything... If everyone did 1 thing every so often that would mean in england alone we'd have over 200,000 nice things every day of the year that we weren't expecting..."
He agreed to have a chat.
thesoundingline: What prompted you to try 'a week of doing nice things for others'? Have you found God, Allah, budha or kaballah? Or is it being a dad that has prompted a karmic rethink?
Toby: Well it was kinda out the blue. I popped into the supermarket as I was early to give a lift to one of the guys in my team to work. When I was in the queue about to pay I got thinking that there are 60 million people in England and that if everyone did one spontaneous act of kindness a year then on average there would be 150,000 good deeds done everyday!! And that's just in the UK!!
As soon as I thought this there were two children in the queue in front of me that couldn't afford their ingredients for their home economics class that day, so I decided to buy it and start doing random acts of kindness. This could be buying someone's shopping, buying a stranger in the coffee shop their coffee etc through to paying someone an unexpected compliment. Simple things that can help brighten up someone's day (and completely selfishly brighten up mine no end!!).
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| *Toby (eye on the ball) with the lads playing his beloved game |
thesoundingline: Can we come back to 'in the queue' moment....what started that train of thought? Giving your mate a lift?
Toby: Sadly it's just the kind of weird thing I think when I'm bored. I've always liked the idea of random acts of kindness though. Kind of keeps people on their toes in a good way.
thesoundindline: What reaction have you had from the recipients of your kindness?
Toby: To be honest nothing unsurprising apart from the checkout person at the supermarket trying to stop me buying the kids stuff saying I can't do that. Weirdly though as soon as my next door neighbour heard about my plan she lent me a DVD of a film about this type of thing (on a much bigger scale) done in the USA, it was a good film actually.
thesoundindline: So the impetus came from boredom! It is good for something then. Was the movie your neighbour gave you 'Pay it forward' or a documentary?
Toby: That's the one... A surprisingly good film.
thesoundindline: So you have intent (I originally had the word plans) to continue this for life?
Toby: Yeah pretty much. I'm realising it's actually harder than you would think to find good things to do (beyond charity work), but I'm just going to go with the flow and do things as I see them.
thesoundlineline: It is called 'random' acts of kindness I guess. Have you noticed your good karma racking up, in that you have been the recipient of any acts of kindness?
Toby: Not yet, but I guess it'll come round eventually. In all honesty I guess it's kind of a selfish thing at the same time as I get pleasure out of doing the deed so even if it never comes full circle I consider myself 'up' in the scheme of things.
thesoundinglne: I agree! Well you have completed an act of kindness answering my questions. Many many many thanks.
'Random acts of kindness' is experiencing a groundswell.
In fact there are countless websites dedicated to being kind. A simple google search will provide you with inspiration if, like Toby, you are looking for a few ideas.
It would be great if being 'nice' was taught in schools and recognised in workplaces.
Oh, and for the record a 'nice' person doesn't care where he finishes, he just cares about being a descent bloke.
Any ideas of random acts of kindness to share with your fellow nice readers- click on the envelope below.
*Photo courtesy of Toby Culshaw
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