Monday 8 August 2011

Random Reasons to Love London #3

Photo courtesy of Fouquier via Flickr
Parts of London may be in disarray right now, with the riots which have been carrying on for the past few nights but that's just a momentary blip, involving a small minority of people.  It's a sad situation and my heart goes out to those unsuspecting people caught up in the fray, but these few days don't change the fact that London is full of wonderful people and wonderful moments.

So, I felt the need to counter all the horrible scenes that are going on across London with a nice little story.  I know that my little tale won't stop the social problems which are making themselves so evident right now, but all the same, here it is...

I was walking along the other day, dressed up in a pretty, bright frock and in high spirits as it was the weekend and I was off to meet some friends for a nice day out.  As I walked past a dignified elderly couple at a bus-stop, the man caught my attention with a polite "excuse me".  I stopped, thinking he was going to ask me directions or advice on what bus to catch.  But instead he said, "That's a lovely dress you've got on.  It's brightened up our day."  His wife nodded gently in confirmation.  I smiled with surprise and delight, and thanked him before trotting off again on my way, my mood buoyed even more than before.

Now, isn't that just the loveliest thing?  What a sweet, wonderful couple!  I may have brightened their day, but they certainly did the same for me through that brief moment we shared.

4 comments:

  1. That is lovely! I'm feeling quite dejected right now about the whole situation, so that cheered me up x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aww that is really touching!

    I had a moment a bit like this a few days ago when I did a very undignified slow-mo stumble over a curb (messing with I-pod not giving feet full concentration) landing flat on my face, now most people walked passed/over me, but a young lad came over and helped me back to my feet checking if I was OK (though I did feel like an old lady) It really made my day that he stopped.

    Its so easy to forget people can be friendly as most people in London try to avoid interaction or eye contact, a small moment of unexpected kindness can go a long way to restore your faith in humankind:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wendy - nice story! Those moments are always slightly embarrassing - you kind of wish that everyone would pretend not to notice but then, in reality, it's nice to have someone help out, especially someone unexpected like a young lad!

    On the note of nice things about London - the whole affair of the riots has been making me feel rather dejected too, but it's been lovely to see people gathering to help clean up in the aftermath today. Let's just hope there's not lots more cleaning up to do tomorrow...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely, personal stories, girls. They are the things life is made of really - but that don't make the news. If people are unkind, that really affects our day too. Those seemingly small interactions can have such a big impact. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete