We can still rely on the kindness of strangers | Society
I can easily confirm what Martin Kettle said (Need to cheer yourself up after a terrible year? I might have just the story you’re looking for, December 28). I tripped while doing some last minute Christmas shopping in Nailsworth on Christmas Eve; I couldn’t move, it was very painful. Passers-by and staff at a nearby store were helpful and friendly. They must have been busy, but they generously gave me their time and lifted my spirits. The ambulance arrived quickly and the wonderful paramedics correctly assessed my problem and took me to Southmead Hospital in Bristol. X-rays showed that I had broken my femur near the hip joint and needed a hip replacement.
The operation was successfully completed on Christmas Day. I have been fully supported by all kinds of services which have stepped up sequentially. Everything has been excellent, all the staff and audience are absolutely wonderful. The best of this country’s people and its health service.
Phil Bloomfield
Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire
I needed comfort after three terrible years – cancer, major surgery, complications, financial problems, hospitalizations, the Guardian not publishing my (many) letters. Existential despair is not enough to hide it. I found my answer on a wooden plaque for sale on a large boat during a muddy walk before Christmas. It reads: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” I hope this helps someone, as Martin Kettle’s article will. When we look outward rather than inward, we give kindness space to grow.
Lyn Dade
Twickenham, London
Speaking of Martin Kettle’s article, a few weeks ago I dropped my battered old wallet in the Royal Voluntary Service cafe at the local hospital. It was handed to me and quickly returned by the volunteer staff. The wallet contained £90 in cash from the nearby ATM. All maps, content, etc. were intact, but five of the £10 notes had been replaced by a single £5 note – confusing.
David E Hanke
Swaffham Bulbeck, Cambridgeshire
I recently discovered a leather purse in my garden along with other debris left by the fox that lives under my compost pile. It was filled with credit and loyalty cards, cash and a driver’s license. I was able to return the purse to its owner. She thought he must have been dropped when he got off the bus. We should not only be grateful for the kindness of strangers, as Martin reminds us, but also for the kindness of foxes.
Martin Cooper
Bromley, London
Martin Kettle’s article ignores the win-win aspect of returning a lost wallet. Martin got his wallet back, but Natalya will also have benefited from her good deed by feeling better about herself. Surely most of us, if given the chance, would rather find the angel within us than the devil?
Ian Lamming
Southampton
Regarding Martin Kettle’s article, I lost my wallet (including cash) in Sheffield last month. In reporting the lost cards, a heritage organization said someone had already called. “Bestwn” (who turned out to be a Kurdish refugee) then returned the wallet intact once I contacted him. A comforting experience.
Richard Brackenbury
Diseworth, Leicestershire
I lost my wedding ring on my land in 1974. A few years later, my successor found it, found my address and drove 10 miles to deliver it to my astonished wife, leaving no name. After five decades, I say “thank you”.
John Bailey
Saint Albans
Encouraged by Martin Kettle’s portfolio research experience, may I issue a challenge? Could the person who found my distinctive blue wallet, left at a rural rest stop in France last summer, return it via the Guardian. THANKS…
Bob Epton
Brigg, Lincolnshire
