Friday, November 18, 2016

This Is The Week That ...



This is the week that ...

... I won second place in a pub quiz with friends.

Last time we came in first, and really, John and I only contributed to 5 points of this 118 point 90s-themed quiz (the rest of it was totally up to our friends, Lynne and Rachel), but to place second (well, tied-second) out of 15 teams? Not bad. Not bad at all. (Also, seriously: can you name EVERY member of the Backstreet Boys? Every time I tried to conjure up a name - besides Nick Carter - only the smiling faces of 'NSYNC would pop into my head. Lynne made the mistake of saying, "What about Nick Lachey?" and I snapped at her, "NO, HE WAS IN 98 DEGREES, DUH.")

... I asked an Etsy seller to customize a pair of embossed leather luggage tags to read, "Mrs. & Mrs." instead of "Mr. & Mrs." and he was happy to oblige. 

I mean, the fact that I felt nervous and anxious after I sent my request off to him made me feel so sad. What if his response was negative? How do my LGBTQ friends deal every day with this kind of shit? It was that realization that hit me hard. But thankfully, his response was helpful and positive. So, shout out to KarlvonArtistry's beautiful leather goods shop on Etsy.

... I had a pleasant exchange with the guy next to me on the bus.

Which never happens in London. We're in our own little bubbles and our end-goal is to get from Point A to Point B with as little human interaction as possible. Period. But I sat next to him on the top deck of the bus on Wednesday night and we had a little awkward, "Are you getting off ...? Oh, let me get out of the way if you are ..." mini-conversation, which then turned into jokes and small talk about how bad London traffic is, etc. Folks, it was the smallest thing, but it was real and it was a reminder that there is some humanity left in the world right now.

... a nice lady picked up my receipt which had my order number on it, after I dropped it during the mad pre-work rush at POD.

If you're not familiar with POD, they have this stressful (but, actually, totally smart) system of having two lines - one for ordering, one for picking up your order - and calling out your order number when it's ready. I was pre-occupied with checking my phone (obvs) and accidentally dropped my receipt, when a lady to my right noticed, swooped in, and said, "Oh! Don't lose that!" with a friendly smile and handed it back to me. Again, so small, but just - a kind gesture.

... I made a few (tough) phone calls to my Senators and Congressmen back home about my concerns.

My heart was pounding and I felt tearful, but I wrote a short script, read it aloud to the staffers who answered the phone, asked them when I could expect to receive a response, and was met with positivity on the other end of the line. If you're a US citizen, you can find your local representatives here, and if you're calling from the UK, you can use ZipCall to call for free, from your phone. If you don't know where to start, my friend linked this super helpful calling sheet, which you don't have to follow to the T, but it's a great jumping off point.

We need to be kind to each other right now, and do things that will make us feel better. Last week, I was all about staying in, lighting candles, and baking banana bread. And that's okay. I needed that. This week, I wanted to act, so I did. I have a few more calls to make.

Have a wonderful weekend. Thank you, always, for being here for me. xo
SHARE:

19 comments

  1. We need to be kind, you are so right. Sometimes the simple things make such a difference!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Random acts of kindness like that are so important! They seem small but are actually really, really big. I need to remember to be better at giving them out too x

    Laura // Middle of Adventure

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Totally, Laura! I need to work on it too haha - hope you've had a great weekend x

      Delete
  3. The kindness of strangers can never be underestimated.
    Well done you on connecting with those in public office.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That is one of the things I miss about being in an English speaking country, those small unexpected conversations that can make a day. I am always too nervous in Sweden but I have mastered a good passing hej!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're so brave, Bailie! I would be very nervous to strike up a conversation in another language ... I probably wouldn't even try, tbh, that's how scared I am!

      Delete
  5. A little kindness really does go a long way and sometimes that alone can restore our faith in humanity. London sure is one of the busiest most unfriendly cities which is a shame as if everyone took a second to look up and share the beauty things would be a lot nicer. Such a great post and so positive - hope you are feeling better than last week xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. The small things make the day so much better! I miss having the random conversations with people in the city! I live in such a small town that everyone knows everyone and it's a little less 'magical'. If you can call it that haha. Such a lovely post! I definitely needed this little bit of positivity in my life today :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Kendel! I hope you've had a lovely weekend x

      Delete
  7. Sounds like you absolutely bossed this week!! Enjoy the weekend.

    K.

    www.wonderingthrough.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I took control, Kelsey! It felt good. :) Hope you've had a lovely weekend x

      Delete
  8. Go Jaime! It's amazing that you had the courage to call your Senators and Congressmen. And it's so so nice to read about how lovely and cooperative the leather goods company was :) Hope you're enjoying the weekend and reaping the benefits of those candles and banana bread! x

    Tamsin | A Certain Adventure

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was working on being nice to strangers all last and this week ! Letting people go ahead of me in the mad rush on the tube, helping struggling commuters with their bags up the stairs, giving smiles to shopkeepers when I could... it made me feel, in my own private way, that I was doing my part to keep the faith and kindness in humanity .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're ALWAYS nice to strangers, so no change there :)

      Delete

© angloyankophile

This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services - Click here for information.

Blogger Template Created by pipdig