What Ever happened to Good Old Service?

I was in a shop yesterday where I stood waiting my turn to be served. I watched the young man as he served each customer before me, I was wondering just how long it might take him to get to the point of actually saying thank you to one of the customers. Then again maybe it is just me. Maybe people no longer want to here somebody say thank you.

Later I popped into the newsagents where I was greeted with the exact opposite. Here the lady greeted me with, “Good afternoon darling, and your paper. Is that all I can do for you today sweetie? You have a nice day now.” I could almost swear she said it with an American accent.  Now please forgive me that was not intended to be at all anti American. I just have not heard that over here, but like everything else it was bound to come.

So I am never happy. The first lad seems to have lost it completely, it was almost as if he did not want to be there, the second just did not sound for minute as though she meant it.

What happened to just being nice to each other, interested in each other?

Where is all this leading to I hear you ask? Well before I get there can I apologise to those of a sensitive nature, but I just could not help myself when I was told this story. I did really laugh out loudly , and it was so appropriate after my experience in the two shops.

It was a friend asking me what ever happened to the meaning of the word service. She said she was now totally confused about what the word service meant until yesterday.

She thought about all the places the word seemed to be used but was confused why. 

Internal Revenue  'Service'

Postal  'Service' 


Telephone 'Service'

Cable TV 'Service'  


Civil  'Service' 


State, City, County & Public 'Service'

Customer 'Service'

It seemed that the word service was being used out of context when you consider how each of the above respond to you. She then went on to tell me how it all fell into place when she heard two farmers having a discussion. One was telling the other how he had hired a wonderful bull to service all his cows.

In that moment she realised what the word service meant in our modern society.

I hope you see this in the humorous way  I did even now I am still laughing as I retell it to you.

Please do have a nice day. 

This blog is linked to my other. Where Do You Go To My Lovely

Let Us Make A Good Job Of It.

All the talk of police and the events happening in England just make me feel a real sense of sadness and despair. Last night the courts were sitting through the night trying to catch up with the backlog of arrests made during the disturbances. Having been a part-time judge for over 20 years I know just exactly what those Magistrates are feeling like. How often I have had a young person standing before me aware that no matter what I do it is going to have little or no effect on the future behaviour of the person. That sense of another one of the lost generation being raised by the future lost generation on the treadmill of despair

I t stands in stark contrast to the recent show I attended of the Shaolin Warriors. This told the story of those seeking to find meaning in their lives and an understanding of the place of discipline. I am aware that I was watching a show and that is a step away from reality, but I am also aware that in many corners of the globe such lives are reality and the place of discipline and meaning has not been lost.

So it was with some joy that I heard this tale I am going to share with you today. I am assured this is a tale of a true and accounted event. It involves misdemeanour and the police but it sure does have its funny twist.

An elderly lady returned to the car park with her trolley laden with groceries. As she arrived at her car she found four males in the act of leaving with her car. She let go of her shopping trolley and drew a handgun, proceeding to scream at the top of her lungs, :I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car.”

The four men did not wait for a second. They got out and ran.

The lady, somewhat shaken, then proceeded to load her shopping into the car and got into the driver’s seat. She was so shaken that she could not get the ignition key into the car. She tried and tried to no avail. It was only then she wondered why there was a football, a Frisbee and a 12pack of beer of the front seat.

A few minutes later she found her own car five spaces further on in the car park. She loaded her messages into her car and drove straight to the police station to report her mistake.

The police sergeant could not stop laughing. He pointed to the other end of the counter where four young lads were reporting a car jacking by a mad elderly woman, carrying a large handgun.

In the end no charges were filed. The moral of the story, if you are going to make a mistake, make it a good one but at least come clean and be honest about it.

The path to enlightenment is strewn with the mistakes of learning.

This blog is linked to my other.  The Path To Enlightenment.

Before Trying To Change the World!!.

I am in no doubt that you are all aware of the horrendous events taking place in the UK at present. Gangs of wild youths roaming the streets at night, looting shops, committing arson by setting fire to property. It is indeed sad to watch and to read about.

Yes there is much to be said about what is wrong with society. But I think we need to be aware that no matter how bad things are there is never an excuse for such greed and reckless behaviour. It broke my heart to watch a young lad who had got caught up in all of this sitting at the side of the road with blood coming from a wound caused by some missile. As he sat some other louts came along, rather than help him they stole all of his possessions and swaggered off.

Even as I write my heart feels heavy, where are we heading and how did we ever get here.

But it is not all bad. I began by saying taking place here in the UK. Sadly that is what is said in the press and on TV day by day. The truth is it is not the UK it is only in England. Yesterday some lout opened a webpage in Facebook here in Scotland, “ Lets start a riot in Glasgow.” Almost instantly another site opened,” Lets not start a riot in Glasgow.’ This site was swamped with people saying NO loud and clear. Today two young persons are to appear in court for trying to incite unrest, thanks to the goodness of people who still care about society. It returns you faith in human beings.   

There is a lovely little story that makes a similar moral.

 Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous country. One day, he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country. When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road that he went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the entire country with leather. Definitely, this would need thousands of cows' skin, and would cost a huge amount of money.

Then one of his wise servant dared himself to tell the king, "Why do you have to spend that unnecessary amount of money ? Why don't you just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet ?"

The king was surprised, but he later agreed to his suggestion, to make a "shoe" for himself.

There is actually a valuable lesson of life in this story : to make this world a happy place to live, you better change yourself - your heart; and not the world.

Have a good day and lets not have a riot in Glasgow.

This blog is linked to my other .   The Mirage

The Toils of Getting Old

It has been a terrible few days, feeling ill. I have been unable to run or walk. For one such as myself, for whom such exercise is a daily event, not being able to get out there is nightmare time. To have to stay at home, with the feeling that you just want to be out there.

I began to wonder is this what it is like to be old. Then the penny drops and you begin to realise that for most people you already are old. It is a bit like the old lady who was asked, “What is the best thing about being 94?’  Her immediate answer was, “The lack of peer pressure.”

Or to be like the old lady in a story I was told very recently. She  felt like her body had got all out of shape.  So she got her doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to begin with an aerobics class for seniors. 

She said, “I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.

This morning I am feel just a bit better, and looking forward to being able to at least have a walk, if only down to the village. I know that I will not make a good old person. I suppose I should begin to look at life and rejoice in what I can do, not what I am no longer able to do.

Which leaves me with yet another story to brighten your day. Another from an old lady. Talking to her friend she was overheard to say.

I've have began to realize I have gotten old!  I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement,  new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts.  Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends.

 But, thank God, I still have my driver's license.

Have a good day.

This blog is linked to my other where I talk of the artwork above.  I Don't Like Mondays