Courage and hope

Early today I watched an old lady with a zimmer frame struggle down the footpaths to our parade of shops and press the button for the pedestrian crossing lights so she could cross the main road to the shops.

These lights stop traffic for about enough time for someone going at about a slow march pace to get across. This lady was a lot slower and was never going to make it before the lights went green for the traffic again, but to my surprise, and I suspect hers, six lads rushed out of builders vans and took up position three on each side of her, as she slowly made her way across and effectively dared any motorist to even think of moving or blowing a horn.

Even more surprising, one of the lads asked the old girl if she was going to do some shopping and then come back this way to get home and, having been told yes, said he’d clear it with their boss and they’d be waiting when she came back to make sure she made it safely across again.

So where was the courage? That was the old lady with guts and determination enough to keep going through what was pretty obviously serious arthritis.

And hope? That was the six lads, all in their late teens, who despite the bad press the latest generation usually get, saw the old girl was going to have a problem and charged in to solve it for her. 

As I have said a few times here, despite there being a few little monsters, there’s not a lot wrong with the latest generation.