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There are three kinds of conversations:
This is a true story about a close encounter of the third kind. It’s one thing to talk to the universe, and another to get a reply. |
It happened to Audrey last week. Her home is in New York, but she’s been my Honolulu neighbor for 4 years because she’s taking care of her dad, Charlie, and her bed-ridden mom. I think Audrey’s a saint because her mother isn’t, not by a long, loo-ong shot.
But even saints have needs. Audrey needs to go home to take care of her leaves-up-to-the-ankles-and-covering-the-car property. Its abandoned appearance almost dares a rascal to set a match to the place. When she found out that the “friend” she paid to take care of the yard and mail wasn’t doing his job (talk about a rascal), she cried.
How could she leave her mom, who had fired/threatened/chased off professional caregivers? Would her mom even be willing to live in a hospice facility for the ten days Audrey needed to be gone? Would her mom live through it, or die just for spite?
Dr. Bruce, a handsome young gerontologist stopped by, as he sometimes did. Audrey poured out her frustration. As he was leaving, Dr. Bruce said kindly, “Everything will be all right.”
Audrey said, “I need help, and I need it NOW!”
She dove into the swimming pool and did twenty laps, kicking out her stress.
As she climbed out of the pool, the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” said Charlie.
“No, I’ll get it.”
“I’ll get it.”
“No, Dad. Let me do it.”
Dripping wet, she dashed to the front door. Three women in their early twenties greeted her. “I’m Sister Sarah.” “I’m Sister Vanessa.” “I’m Sister Margaret. We’re Mormons, and we’re spending a year and a half in Hawaii doing service. Is there anything we can do for you?”
Audrey’s a giver. She gives generously and rarely asks for anything. She listened to the three women and asked many questions. While she didn’t jump on their generous offer, she’s considering it. Three reliable, eager, and open-hearted women could do the job of caring for her mom for a few hours a day.
Audrey’s aware of the universe’s exquisite timing:
Our front door is 200 feet from Audrey and Charlie’s, and I’ll tell you, these three souls didn’t ring our bell.
It reminds me of a plaque from my B & B days:
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. – Hebrews 13:2
Conversation question:
Have you had a conversation with God/the universe/Higher Ups and gotten a reply? Tell me about it in the comment section.
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How to Ask for Help
This comes under the category of conversations with others.
After hearing Audrey’s story on Saturday, I found a relevant web page. Gretchen Rubin, of The Happiness Project, wrote:
One of my Secrets of Adulthood is “It’s okay to ask for help,” and one of my resolutions is to “Ask for help.” Why I find this simple act so difficult, I don’t know. But I know that other people do, too — for example, the excellent Marci Alboher just wrote about how to ask for help.
That’s two kinds of conversations out of three. I hope you enjoyed reading about them. I’m eager to read your comments.
[...] On August 3rd, I blogged about three kinds of conversations: [...]