Kindness

The move to Dover, Florida began in earnest on August 15th when the packers and movers arrived at the house in Maryland. There were a few days of work in the midst of it all, but it has been over two weeks at this point. Tomorrow morning, the load of belongings from Maryland arrive at the new home in Florida. So does Hurricane Hermine. (Yes, we are a bit disappointed it is not Hermione, our favorite character from the Harry Potter series….). It will be a long day of unloading, but the movers will do the bulk of the work. We will oversee furniture placement and unpack boxes. Nearly 500 of them. The unpacking always takes longer than the packing, but slowly each room will come together. I am excited.

Moving is one of those big life stressors, up there with death. It has been stressful. I have been frayed. I am extraordinarily grateful to people, friends and strangers, who have recognized my state of being and responded with extraordinary kindness. The woman at the Saginaw uHaul is one of those kind people. We rented a pod from uHaul to move the stuff in Saginaw, and there were logistical challenges in the delivery on the Florida end. Everything was smooth as silk in Saginaw, but confirmation of delivery and moving assistance was muddled from the Florida end. The owners of the uHaul franchise in Saginaw went the extra mile to confirm everything. They were lovely even when I was not at my best: sweaty, tired, and crabby. A friend in Maryland swooped into the empty house to pick up all of the toxics that need to go to a special county place for disposal. I am so grateful to her. Many people have stepped in a moments of flagging energy and helped to sort things out. At moments when I was grasping the last ends of a frayed rope, Kim brought food or other material assistance.

There have been some douche bags along the way: the man who barked at Tibe at one of the motels we stayed at. (Pro tip: don’t bark at dogs anywhere, but especially not in travel spaces. They are already freaked out by not having a regular routine. Tibe was fine, but he let the fellow know whose bark was bigger.) Multiple drivers have demonstrated their disregard for human life, including their own. Generally, though I am struck by the kindness of people, kindness when it was not necessary and generosity above and beyond the usual call. My bitchiness and I are grateful for this show of humanity from people.

I am reminded of my belief in service to other people, my belief in being of service to people and ideas and principles. This belief was ruffled (decimated? destroyed?) by the neighbors in Maryland, but I can feel it returning. All of small acts of kindness of which I have been the recipient, they add up, they restore my belief in service, in people, in kindness.