Ten Past Eight

I thank you for yesterday’s responses. I was aware that such lists had been around for a long time, that is after all the way of life. Seldom does anybody come up with a new idea. I found this idea along with the letter writing idea many years ago. I will explain that in a moment. I liked both ideas and took them on board and made them my own.


From time to time I drag them out from my documents folder and consider them, make amends, remove and add or adapt, until I feel happy with them. The whole process I find helpful and it gives me the opportunity to consider how I feel my life is going. I do this on the basis that it is never too old to learn. My first list was about eleven items long. When I dragged it out the other day it had crept up to nearly 30. I shared what I considered the ten I had changed the least over recent years.

The letters are much more difficult. I have attempted to write to everybody I have ever hurt or offended. Some people answered others did not. But I have learned, that it is for me worth the time doing this.

Yesterday I bumped into a recipient of one such letter. The person recognised me in the store and came over and spoke to me. How wonderful an encounter and made the letter worthwhile. We parted laughing as she told me the very true story of her friend. Her husband and her had gone to the Edinburgh Festival Ticket Office and purchased a number of tickets for some shows. The wife looked at them and said to her husband, “You silly man all these tickets are for ten past eight. How can we be at the same venue at the same time?” He looked at her, and then the tickets.

“You are the silly one,” he said. “The tickets are for the year 2010 not the hour 2010. She looked at him feeling a fool but they laughed. He used the story to write a letter to the paper and one the letter of the day competition.

This story, which I assure is true reminded me of another that I am sure is not at all true but who knows.

It is the story of the employer who asked one of his staff to clean the lifts (elevators in the USA). He had a difficult time getting staff to do the job well. Four days later he bumped into the man still cleaning. He asked why the job was taking so long, but did complement him on how clean they were. The man explained that it was an enormous job. He asked the employer if he realised there were 40 of these things to clean. Two on each floor and sometimes they were not even there.

People are indeed so funny but I rejoice that there are always people who can leave us feeling good because we have been in their company for even just a short time.

So my lists and my letters will continue because for me they work and are important.

Thanks again for all the great comments.


This blog is linked to my other.You Make Me Feel Like Dancing