Acts of Random Kindness...again

This year, I am spending Christmas in England. I landed on Liverpool airport, and from there, I had to make my way to my partner's house in Wolverhampton. For all my ranting about England, their stupid separate water taps, driving on the wrong side of the road, and all, upon landing, I was instantly reminded of their charming side.

The details here are unimportant, but the bottom line was that the machine at the train station were unavailable, thus I couldn't print my pre-bought ticket for the train Liverpool-Wolverhampton. This could go one of two ways: I buy a new ticket (which would be considerably more expensive) or board the train and run the risk of having to pay at least 20 pounds penalty.

I explained my situation to the guard. He nodded, smiled, explained to me it was alright, let me go through and advised me, should I get checked on the train, to tell them that the machines weren't working (when, in fact, I was taking a train from a different stop from the one I was meant to, and it didn't have machines in the first place. Had I gone to the stop I was meant to be boarding the train from, I would have missed it). I thanked him for his kindness, he even told em which track number I should be looking for.

Uplifted by his kind spirit, I saw a couple who were unsure which train they should board. Soon enough, their confusion gave away their Iberian origins. Partly because of the kindness I had just encountered, and partly because it's what I would do anyway, I helped them out after checking the schedule board.

The train was rocking soothingly, I was deep into my forensics book when a man came to check tickets. I explained thhe situation, and he was very understanding.

I like it when chance encounters are positive and make your day. The staff at the station chose to believe my story, which was, incidentally, true. They didn't have to. The Spanish couple would have been alright without my help, too. But it sure left me with a smile on my face, feeling a connection with people I will probably never meet again.

The deadline-comedy axiom

The closer a deadline is, the higher the levels of procrastination. And as often enough, we procrastinate with something entertaining rather than difficult to watch or constructive, we end up watching TV. In my case, that is either comedy or romance. In these past couple of days, for whatever reason, every single episode I saw, be it sitcoms or Mythbusters (I watched plenty of both) was funnier than they usually are. Thus, it appears that the closer you are to a deadline, the funnier things seem. The explanation? Intensity. You're getting closer to a deadline, levels of stress and anticipation rise, and proportionally, so do levels of enjoyment. A side-effect, on a psychological level, is that we want to find things funnier because we need higher justification to continue watching sitcoms. We feel less guilty for continuing procrastination if it's a really good one. We would feel more guilty for doing it, if it wasn't even good. A bit like cheating- if you're going to do it, it'd better be with someone hotter than your partner.
3 days of TV and studying to go.

During the intermission

I went to the ballet with some friends, here in Rotterdam. This is not the story of the ballet but a small dance that very few people saw, in the intermission.
There were three parts to it and in the intermission we saw a man across the hall, dancing. He was in his late 50s or early 60s, and while people got up to get a drink or move their legs a bit, he moved his legs, too, and much more so. He danced. I know I certainly felt my blood warming up, but he actually did what most of us only joked about. He must have felt inspired and it was beautiful to see him follow his heart, despite strangers watching him with confusion, or laughing at him. Who cares if others laugh at you, your heart wants what it wants.
Like a very special person once said to me, when talking about acting, if you don't feel stupid while doing it, you're not doing it right.

Where do a lesbian and a straight woman have in common?

Here's a jolly funny moment for you:
My dad is coming to visit in a couple of days. I realised I didn't have any winter shoes here so I asked him to pick up appropriate shoeware and bring it to me when he comes to visit. And this is where a straight woman and a lesbian, (where I am a hybrid of both) cross: you can never separate a straight woman from her shoes. However, the fact that it is combat boots with steel toe caps tells you that you're dealing with a lesbian.
Ha, take that, feminists!!

Acts of Random Kindness

This is a story about the positive side of human nature.

I put my card next to the reader, the doors opened and I exited the subway. I felt a bit light and easy, about to go out after a long difficult day. Yet, I realised I was light in more than one ways. The penny slowly but surely dropped- I had left my bag on the subway. With all the cards, some money, ID, lecture notes. Shit.

The next day I opened my mailbox to find an email from a man who said he had found my bag and all of my belongings were in it. He had kept it with him, as he thought it was a better idea than leaving in on the subway, where its fate would be questionable. He gave me his details so we could arrange to meet up.

We met at Leiden train station, and of course, the least I could do to thank him was get him a cup of coffee. We chatted, had a few things in common, giggled and then parted ways.

You never know what life will bring to you but, surely, you have to try to see the silver lining and make the most out of it. No, this isn't the beginning of a soppy romantic comedy, this is real life and it is happening this minute. There are some true acts of random kindness, and it is lovely when they bring strangers together.

Hot chocolate and lemon cake

It is Halloween eve in Rotterdam. To me, it is also Deadline eve, so in an attempt to kick start my brain's creativity, I've retreated to a cosy Caffe and Pattisserie near my home, which carries an indescribable feeling of nostalgia in the air. I first came here 10 days ago, just after seeing Midnight in Paris, and the space was a real-life continuation of the film- it's like different times and spaces meet here, it is cosmopolitan, yet very local; it is big but it feels like each table is made just for you. It has that je ne sais quoi. 
And they make the most unbelievable hot chocolate- served with a separate dish of whipped cream to dip. Mmm.
As I sit and try to organise my thoughts, on my left a gentleman sat. He must be around- let me look again- around 60. He ordered in Dutch and soon they brought him coffee and a slice of lemon cake. And as I see him read a newspaper, enjoy the cake and then wash down the slight zest with good coffee, I was overwhelmed with such warmth. Warmth, firstly, towards him, and an appreciation of age, a desire to be as calm and distinguished as he seems, when I am 60. To be able to afford to go out to a caffe on a monday evening for a slice of cake.
If you think about it, ultimately, all we ever want is in this picture. Health, enough means to live calmly, inner peace and a piece of cake. That is all I want for my 60th birthday.

Strangers

Don't pass up on the opportunity to talk to strangers- it will make you feel better than most other things.

Conversations with strangers tend to happen in casual places, while waiting for the train, in queues, waiting to get served in the pub. Maybe you notice, often enough, there is waiting involved, and why not make the best of it? Other times, it is because we are upset or happy about something, and people around us share the same feeling. I once had the case of going to my mobile provider and complaining about my phone's touch screen refusing to work, when a loud woman next to me was giving them a hard time. I asked, what phone do you have? HEr answer was no surprise- the same as mine!

 I've learned that more often than we realise, people will experience very similar emotions to ours- be it frustration that the salesperson on the counter is too slow, or happiness that our team is winning, as we sip our beer in the pub. Even if we try, we cannot ignore that so much of our human behaviour follows the rules of psychology and to me, emracing it has made me friends. And another thing- ultimately, we probably all want food, shelter and companionship. This fact, combined with the fact that you are currently in the same place and time as someone else means that you already have so much in common, that a simple hi seems to be easiest thing to do. Last time I tried, I made a friend.