The Mail Must Go Through

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor first long weekend of spring… I think the postal carriers’ motto goes something like that, doesn’t it? After doing the rounds on Friday, our local mailman found one last letter in his shoulder bag with my address on it. Sure, he technically could have finished off his route by tossing it into our mailbox and giving it not a second thought. After all, I’m sure there was a dock and a beer waiting for him somewhere.

Instead, he took note of the fact that I’d already scooped up the day’s mail, acknowledged that I wouldn’t be looking in the box again until four days hence, and took the time to ring the doorbell and personally hand-deliver the envelope. “I noticed you’d already grabbed the mail, so I just thought I’d give this to you,” he said.

I glanced at the envelope and suddenly felt a well of gratitude. It was a gift card from Auntie Sylvie – and it was addressed to my daughter, who would be celebrating her birthday before the long weekend was through.

I told him about the special occasion. “She wouldn’t have gotten this in time for her birthday. I really appreciate that,” I explained. Nice way to start off what was truly a glorious-weather, party-filled weekend – with an exuberant birthday girl who has a generous aunt… and a dedicated mailman. As it happens, a fortunate combination.

Happy birthday to you, you belong in a zoo… (don’t they all? They’re fourteen.)

Another Kind of Duck Dynasty

Ducklings trapped down a storm drain? There’s an app for that.

And we can thank the quick thinking of Michael Williams, who lives in Windsor, Ontario, for the ensuing rescue of the pair of ducklings. The two baby birds had been following their mom down the street when they accidentally fell into the drain. They panicked, then paddled away from daylight, making their odds of being saved awfully dicey.

Williams immediately called the municipality for help. Then he searched for a Blackberry app for duck calls. Using his smartphone, Williams was able to entice the ducklings to return to the open reservoir, where a city worker could fish them out with a net.

Happy ending. And hopefully these two duck daredevils have learned that running away from home is not all it’s quacked up to be (with apologies).

Free Agent

Want to find a new job? Track down your biological father? Practise your stage hypnosis act? Get someone to exercise your dog? No need to shell out for employment counsellors, private detectives, private audiences or dog-walkers. There’s another option: Call the Free Help Guy. This anonymous but charity-minded man, who makes his home in London, England, set up a website offering complimentary assistance of all types when he found himself temporarily underemployed and had some time on his hands. And, yes, he’s been giving away his time and efforts to all those causes listed above… and more.

Why reach out this way? “I hope that projects, blogs, missions like this all do their bit in making this world a slightly nicer place to be a part of!” FHG says. And why, you may wonder, has our friend opted to remain incognito as he dishes out favours, gratis? He insists he has nothing to hide, but explains: “I felt I would be more accessible to people if I was anonymous… I think if people don’t have a name, face and identity to go by, then no preconceptions can cloud their judgment of my offer of free help.” He sincerely believes he makes a more open and honest connection with people without the pesky static of extra details – like names.

“If my journey can be inspiring to anyone,” FHG adds, “then I want that inspiration to come from the act of giving, rather than the person behind it.” He’s doing something right. Our pal is currently working on project number 15… not bad, considering he started in February.

Hey, anyone whose tagline is “for the next six months I’m going to make your life better” has got my support.

I have the strangest feeling I’ve seen this guy somewhere before…

Money for Nothing

The latest secret to happiness? Give away your cash. That’s according to professors at the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School. They compiled data from studies around the world showing that spending money on other people gives us a bigger kick than spending it on ourselves. What’s even neater: Donating your dough is equally rewarding whether you’re living off chickenfeed, or swimming in the big bucks. The professors, who have co-written a book called Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending, refer to this discovery as “a psychologically universal human trait.”

Does the size of emotional reward depend on the value of the cash you’re giving away? If so, here’s the equivalent to a cheap high.

Home is where the Heart is

I met a mom the other day who has truly opened her heart and her home. She’s an oncology nurse in a busy hospital. Three years ago, when a Nigerian refugee came to her ward seeking treatment for cancer, medical care wasn’t the only kind she needed. The young woman was also desperate for a safe place to live. She’d been assaulted at the home where she and her four-year-old daughter had been staying.

The nurse took her in. She must have thought, Why not? Her adult daughter was moving back home with a newborn baby boy, so any concept of empty-nesting had already, well, flown the coop.

Sadly, the Nigerian mom’s cancer proved incurable. But as her health declined over the next two years, the nurse only became closer to this tiny family, until any boundaries between her blood and theirs pretty much melted away.

By the time the young refugee was on her deathbed, there was no question in the nurse’s mind. She formally asked if she could adopt the little girl, now six, and raise her as her own after her biological mother was gone. Legal experts were brought in, a will was prepared, papers were signed. Then, a year ago, this little girl from Nigeria became the nurse’s very own child to raise.

Today the girl is seven years old, beautiful and thriving. She calls the nurse “Mommy”; she and her adoptive-mom’s-biological-daughter’s-toddler-son are as thick as thieves. And she fits right into her new life. She’s backed by the entire department of oncology at the hospital, where doctors and nurses have pooled their money to pay for clothes and lessons.

So much can change in a small span of time. For this nurse, it began as a workplace encounter with a young woman who’d crossed the ocean with a tragic history. Now she has a daughter for life. I only spent a few minutes with this lady, but I have a feeling I’ll reflect on her story for a long time to come.

Do these beautiful flowers have anything to do with today’s post? I’m sure there’s a metaphor somewhere. I do love spring.

Grumpy Old Men… And Women

You’ve all met them… those folks who try to get away with blunt-bordering-on-rude remarks by implying it’s a positive character trait: “Hey, I just tell it like it is.” But honesty, as I teach my kid, is not always the best policy.

Of course I want my daughter to grow up to be a truthful person, one who is fair and forthright, who lives and works with integrity. I’m not suggesting she go out of her way to be disingenuous.

But there are occasions when honesty is not necessarily the advised course of action. Certainly not when someone asks prying questions, like your age or your income. You have a right to silence on these issues. But there are also times when a small white lie is the kindest course of action you could take in the moment: “I like your haircut.” Right? Or, “No need to apologize – I’d forgotten all about it.” You know what I’m talking about.

According to Queendom, a website run by a psychologist in Montreal, people who blurt out whatever’s on their mind tend to be less sensitive to others’ feelings, more impulsive, and faster to fall into a rage. Surprise, surprise, they’re also less popular in their social circles. If you find you’re offending other folks whenever you open your mouth, not to worry. Queendom.com staff have helpfully listed suggestions on how to be a little more tactful when you talk.

Big-Hearted Bigwigs

Think celebrities are all about themselves, all the time? Certain superstars may be big, but they’re benevolent. That’s what I learned from this recent article on Cracked.com. Many famous people routinely perform acts of kindness, whether it’s Tom Cruise rescuing total strangers, or Keanu Reeves giving away millions of dollars for leukemia research, or Johnny Depp saving, in turn, a horse from euthanasia, a friend from a mugging, and movie-set extras from assured smushedness (apparently a stunt car was veering towards them). Of course, we all agree that Johnny Depp does a good deed just by allowing us to look at his face. But it’s heartening to know that even when it feels like the world revolves around you, you can still give back to the world.