Today I had a “moment” I will always remember.
I started the day feeling a little depressed. The stock market has been insane and my retirement funds…well I basically just stopped looking.
My Bed and Breakfast got it’s first cancellation, and I expect many more to come. Not sure how my design business will fare.
People are freaked out and have cleaned out the stores of hand sanitizer, hand wipes, chlorox and toilet paper. What? I just don’t get the toilet paper thing. Then my 90 year old mom told me why. “When 1 person sneezes, 300 people crap in their pants”. Haha, apparently her pastor told her congregation this nugget of wisdom at church today. Now I get it:) Luckily, I have plenty of TP.
I decide I will have a positive day and get outside in the fresh air and not allow myself to dwell on fear, negativity or the virus. I decide to go on a gray whale watching trip in Kenai Fjords National Park adjacent to Seward, Alaska where I live.
The boat is fairly empty, and people spread themselves out in the booths, trying to maintain 6′ apart. I find a booth where I sit alone, after wiping off the table with the Lysol wipes in my backpack. It is a gorgeous sunny, cold day. As we head out, we see some bald eagles and sea otters. Then some Dall’s porpoises came to play next to the boat. They are super cute and look like mini Orcas.
Soon we see a large group of Orca whales. Some had calves. The males have extra tall dorsal fins. I see a mom with 2 babies and the male swimming behind them. A picture of a happy family.
Then I luck out and an Orca (adult female I think) swims up close to the boat to model for me, and then swims under the boat!
The Orcas are everywhere and I enjoyed watching this male swimming alone in the beautiful light.
We weave in and out of harbors I had not been to, and around various islands. We see a magic cove that has caves that cormorants like to nest in. We go by an area where a group of Harbor Seals have hauled out on a rock.
They feed us lunch, and later hot chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. The scenery is beautiful, the air is fresh and clean and it is a bluebird day filled with amazing wildlife.
As we head in to port, once again there is cell phone coverage and an email pops in. I shouldn’t look, but I do. I get a message I find very upsetting. My eyes tear up a little as I read it. I decide to close it and save it for later, not wanting to ruin the day. After leaving the boat, while still on the dock, I see a cute sea otter, just hanging around and eating. Sounds like a good plan and I wonder if I have any chocolate at home:)
I head to my car, and as I reach it, it happened. My moment. A total stranger, a younger woman who had been on the boat in a nearby booth approaches me.
“Can I give you a hug? I saw you tear up on the boat and thought maybe you needed one”.
I thank her, and tell her I am OK and we “elbow bump” instead.
When I got home, I could not stop thinking about this. That someone would notice a total stranger feeling a little upset and then even during these times of social distancing want to say something and offer a hug was moving. The kindness of strangers is a powerful thing.
While some are out there hoarding toilet paper and price gouging, others are taking the time to connect and come together, even at risk to themselves.
I felt the need to share the experience so put a blurb about it on my personal Facebook page. I received more likes and comments on this than anything in recent memory. It also spurred a lot of concerned emails checking to make sure I was OK from good friends as well as acquaintances.
Kindness is apparently as contagious as the virus.
That really made my day, and I hope by sharing it with you, it will make yours too. Let’s be kind and take care of each other in the difficult times ahead.
Mary Ann
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Oh, what a beautiful and inspiring story, Mary Ann! And gorgeous pictures of your stunning scenery up there in Alaska!
Thank you Janet! It was one of those days to remember in so many ways!
I loved this! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thanks so much Christina!
This is so beautiful to read. Not only are your pictures absolutley stunning, the message in this is golden.
Thank you Sheri!
How incredibly sweet! I loved reading this post, I felt as if I was on the trip with you. Thanks for sharing, you made my day too!
Awww, thanks Amy. If you ever come up this way, let’s do it!
Dear MaryAnn:
There is so much to say here. First of all, I’m sorry that you are feeling the business pinch a bit, but thank God you are retired and don’t have to worry about losing your job right now. I think that’s the only silver lining right now– that you are already retired, and that you can work remotely with clients who live anywhere, thanks to your edesign service offerings. Not to mention that they can buy your fractal art designs for gifts.
Secondly, the pictures here are so beautiful. You are so blessed to be able to go out and experience, daily if you so choose, what many of us will never see in person in our lifetimes.
Third, the kindness of strangers is a powerful medicine that we can all administer during these unprecedented times and I’m glad that medicine got administered to you at a moment when you most needed it.
Lastly, thank you for including a link to our SPRING issue of Seasonal Living Magazine in this post — I appreciate it and hope your friends enjoy it and enjoy trying the recipes in it.
If you haven’t watched the *making of the berry pavlova video in it, on page 14, go back and watch that — it is one of the most beautiful things you will ever see…and I hope it provides you with a moment of joy.
Sending hugs from afar {{{{ }}}}
Leslie
Thanks Leslie, I am fine and all will be well:) I am very happy to have online Edesign services and hope it can help people make their home a sanctuary during this difficult time from the comfort of their own homes. And, I hope that some fractal art gifts will cheer someone up and make their day! I am blessed to live in such a beautiful place! I think this current crisis will bring out the best in many people and bring them closer together. And you are welcome, I hope people will check out your gorgeous magazine! I will definitely go check out that video! Thanks for reading and all your thoughtful comments. Hugs to you!