Sometimes, it's about NOT going fishing
Late last winter, a neighbor down the road a bit lost her husband unexpectedly. We (brother and I) dropped off a pickup load of split, seasoned firewood to help her get through the heating season when we heard about it and a bit later, some of her other friends dropped off loads of firewood as well, except theirs was whole and 1 1/2 to 2 1/2' in diameter, no way she and her mid 20's daughter would be able to work it up. She was told by the others that they would be back to work it up for her. Right...........OK................sure......
I've been driving by that large wood all summer and finally offered to break it down for her at some point, if it wouldn't bother her other friends. I spoke to my brother about it and he agreed we should just work it up. We did some of it about a week ago and rather than hit the pond this morning, I moved my splitter down (it has a side lift for the big monster pieces) and we worked it all up, including a bunch that had been rough split and put in the ground level garage/basement that was too big for her to lift or wouldn't fit through the furnace door. She worked with us moving the newly split wood back in to the basement as we split it smaller, showing us what she could handle safely. To say she was immensely grateful would be an understatement. Helping her and getting this off her to-do list was very satisfying to my soul as well. Although I have other plans this afternoon and won't be able to fish today there will always be tomorrow.
Yet even as I type "there will always be tomorrow", I'm reminded that tomorrow is promised to no one. Her husbands passing is the perfect example of that. So my day of non-fishing has become much more rewarding than if I had gone fishing and put off helping out someone who really needed and appreciated a neighborly act. Gifts come in many forms and I just got one today in a roundabout way.
Ken
