Spending time with new friends

@daeckardt (6237)
United States
March 15, 2011 6:57pm CST
Hi everyone, I was able to get into town this afternoon to get the urine sample that they didn't get yesterday. I thought I was going to have trouble getting there, but then I remembered an offer that a new friend had made last week. She works at the front desk overnight four nights a week and she said if I ever needed a ride that I could call her. I called her this afternoon after she got off her day job and it turned out she was upstairs to pick up her paycheck. She got me to the doctor's office and I got that taken care of. Then we picked up her kids from school and took care of some of her running around. She then took me out to dinner and she just dropped me off and was going to go home and get some sleep before she had to be back here to go to work tonight. It was a very nice day! I was going to pay for my own meal and she wouldn't have it. I was also going to give her money for gas the other night when she took me into town to buy groceries, but she said she didn't want my money. She said that if anything, perhaps I could buy her some sodas sometime. Do you either do that for other people or have other people do that for you?
2 people like this
6 responses
@margeryann (1845)
• United States
16 Mar 11
I'm glad that you were able to make it to your appointment and that a nice person volunteered to take you. I've been there before.I don't drive so I have to depend on people to and It is awful being in a situation like that because I don't like asking for help. Your situation sounds like a situation I was in when my 20 year old son was in preschool. I was walking him to and from the preschool. One day I was on my way home with my son to pick him up and a preschoolers mom asked if I wanted a ride. I said no. I didn't know her and didn't want a ride. She asked again. She said that winter is going to be here soon and I would hate to see you having to walk then. I decided to do it. She ended up being a real sweet lady. We became friends. She said that she would pick me up in the morning and she would pick me up to get my son after school was out. I offered to pay her gas money to do that and she said no I don't want you to give me anything. If you see someone in your situation how you can pay me back is to do the same thing. One day she had to stop by her house before going to take our kids to the school because she forgot something. I really appreciated her even more that day because I found out that she lived maybe a couple blocks if that from the school.She went way out of her way to pick me up everyday. She called me on days that her son was sick and I walked those days and she let me know a head of time if she was going on vacation because she did that sometimes and I walked on those days but other times she picked me up everyday.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
16 Mar 11
It sounds like this lady was something special. I like the attitude that you don't have to pay me back except by passing the kindness on to someone else. My brother shares rides with one of his neighbors who also has a kid in kindergarten at the school where his son goes. Some days he drives and others the other parent drives. On Monday it was supposed to be his day and he didn't have the car so the other parent told him that she would pick the kids up after school. I hope that I will always be able to find kind people wherever I go. Thanks for the response!
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
16 Mar 11
It seems like I have lost track of a lot of my friends after moving. I have occasionally run into people I went to school with growing up. When I was in college (18 years after graduating high school) I ran into a girl that I went to school with in 5th-8th grades. When I was working later, I ran into people who I went to high school with. But other than rare occasions like that I lost track of pretty much everyone that I knew when I was in Alaska.
• United States
16 Mar 11
There isn't much people like that. Unfortunately we lost contact with each other.She got divorced and moved.Later on I moved to a different town too.It is nice that you've been lucky so far and have people to help you.I know exactly how you feel not being able to take your self places. It is a awful feeling. You feel abandoned. Even though you aren't when you have to depend on other people for transportation.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157615)
• United States
16 Mar 11
That is terrific!! It makes a lot of sense to have people to do stuff with besides your brother. I have friends that we will take each other out and do favors for. I am giving allergy shots to one of my friends, as she cannot afford to go have the doctor's office do it. Her doctor is giving her the serum at a good price. She helped me the year both of my kids got married, she managed the wedding for my daughter. I made her twenty fifth anniversary refreshments and so forth. She had two seniors in High School, and I did the refreshments for that. She helps me with photography stuff as she grew up with her folks taking pictures. We go back and forth a lot.
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
16 Mar 11
It is nice when you are able to go back and forth like that. I always suggest that they let me do something for them when they do nice things for me, but so far, none of the people who have helped me out have let me repay them in any way. It really bothers me because I have never been one to freely accept handouts.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157615)
• United States
16 Mar 11
Oh, I know how that feels, too. You will think of something and just totally surprise them with it. They will not think that they can let you do something, so you will have to get ahead of them somehow.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
16 Mar 11
Actually, I had trouble sleeping tonight again. Before we ate, she stopped by Best Buy and got a new charger for her laptop. It cost so much that she almost didn't get it except that she had to do a paper that is due tomorrow so she needed to get it so she could complete the assignment. I told her that it would be cheaper to get it off Amazon, but she says she doesn't order things online because she doesn't have or use credit cards. She is going to find the part number and we will order one so that she can refund the $80 one because I saw them there for under $20. What really got me was she said that she would give me more than I spent. I guess I will have to do for someone else that is having more difficulty than I am. Have a great day!!!
@AmbiePam (85605)
• United States
17 Mar 11
That's so sweet! Once I got sick it seemed like my friends drifted away.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (85605)
• United States
17 Mar 11
True. But to have so many people close to you gradually just slip out of your life is pretty painful. Especially when I worked really hard to try to keep the connections.
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
17 Mar 11
I think I got lucky both times around. When I got sick the first time back in 2003, I had about 200 hours of leave accumulated an other people donated another 500 hours so although I was out of work from September until mid February, I didn't lose any pay. Not many people came to visit while I was in the hospital because it was in Durham and they all lived in Raleigh, but once I got back home some did come by. People have always been supportive of me when I was sick. I think a lot of times people don't know what to say around someone who is sick so they just stay away. What do you think about that?
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
16 Mar 11
there must be some very good people where you live and im so glad you've ran into one. yes, sons ex gf was like that with me. so sweet and kind. i cant believe how cool shes been with my son but then you never know what i dont know/. about it. ive been that way with sons ex-ex gf. we were friends for yrs before she became his gf. but ive always helped her and given her money sometimes when she needed it, took her to dinner when we were both alone, before she took up with my son. and even since, if she does anything for me i pay her gas and take her to dinner, though that was never the deal i was promised before i moved back. long story there.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
16 Mar 11
It seems that all the staff that work here are nice. I'm not so sure about the lady that cleans my building, but the lady that cleans the other building has done laundry for me once (at no charge) and I offered to take her to lunch but she hasn't taken me up on it yet. The people who work the desk are also pretty nice. The manager gave me a good deal on the room and even included the fridge and microwave at no additional charge as long as I paid for the whole month. The one lady told the night shift person about me and when the downstairs ice machine didn't work one night, I actually got to meet her. Thanks for the response!
• United States
16 Mar 11
Wow so sweet of her to help you out! I can rely on a couple but would be rare to encounter someone like her around me these days. I do have my moments and do try to help where I can epecially if it is in my direction. Sounds like you had a really great time. Good for you, we need a day out with someone nice once in a while. Glad you got the testing taken care of too.
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
16 Mar 11
It was a nice day. Now I just hope that they hurry up and get me scheduled to start treatments. Have a great day!
@edev85 (26)
• Indonesia
16 Mar 11
That kind of friend is really rare in this world. I also have such friend. He often give me helps anytime i need. i can learn many things from my best friend. I think you can also use the chance you have now to learn something invaluable for life from your friend. Having that kind of person as a friend is incomparable to having material things in this world. I hope you can be her best friend forever.be good to her as you treat your own life...
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
16 Mar 11
I did find out a couple of things about this girl. She is half my age and has two kids, goes to school and works two jobs. She doesn't like to take anything from anyone and is always willing to give so much. She was telling me her goals for improving her credit and it sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders. I hope that I can help her to reach her goals, even if it is only with encouragement and advice. I am old enough to be her mother and her kids have already taken a liking to me. Thanks for the response!