Community Care
When I was a kid, whenever a snowstorm hit my Dad marched all seven of us out to shovel the walkways of all of our elderly neighbors (which was pretty much everyone). This was an exhausting habit – particularly during the blizzard of ’78 – but I appreciate my Dad’s traditional sense of community care and respect for elders.
Not surprisingly, ever since last week’s storm I’ve been plagued by guilt about the impenetrable layer of ice on our sidewalk. Somehow between work and home and potty training, we just couldn’t keep up the day of the storm. So during the last two days of warm up, I have gone out periodically to chip away at the driveway and sidewalk. The ice has been remarkably resistant to my efforts.
Moments ago, during another round of chopping and scraping, a DPW truck pulled up and two friendly workers offered to help; they doused our sidewalk with several pounds of salt. They even offered to fill up our salt bucket (we really must get one of those…).
Maybe I’m feeling sentimental today because I visited my Dad’s grave this morning, but I had the distinct feeling that universes were colliding; as if, some 20 years later, I just got a little gift for shoveling all of those walkways as a kid. And Laurel appears to have inherited my Dad’s sense of community care. During a post-storm walkabout, she stopped for a good 10 minutes to remove ice chunks that had fallen off the banks and onto the sidewalk (shown).
Comments
Christine,
It's not a coincidence. It's a gift! I remember those days very fondly. I am grateful for the many things our Dad taught us and do my best to incorporate those into my everyday life. But most of all, knowing what it takes to give makes it much more meaningful when we receive it in return.
Thank you for the beautiful story and memories...
George
Posted by: George Koh | February 21, 2007 5:03 PM | Reply to this comment
Wow, is something in the air? I was at mom's yesterday spearing through the glaciers like Shakelton and as tempted as I was to give up because of throbbing fingers I had a w.w.d.d. moment( what would dad do). Noticably, after an hour of chopping the girls next door were sent out to accomplish the same mission and although I saw a look of contempt in their eyes I felt good knowing that they were I was oh so long ago and that they would probably be doing the same thing 20 years from now. The circle of life.... love-
da cub
Posted by: shasha | February 21, 2007 6:38 PM | Reply to this comment