I Met These Lovely People!
In response to the April 2023 DEP Photography prompt and weekly prompt 27/52
When I first read the weekly prompt topic, “Anything Goes!” I was going to write about the lessons I learned from getting back on a push-bike after 17 years. You wouldn’t believe how many life lessons I have learned already on my first (or second) day! I wrote them all in my letter to John, which I will share here one day, so I didn’t want to repeat myself.
Therefore I decided to change my response and write about another experience I had during my short stay in Killarney. It relates to all the lovely people I met there. I love the area, so I would have had a great time anyway; however, the individuals I met added a special charm to that time. They were like spices added to a nice meal.
I also realized that often, the strangers we meet on our journey through life are the reflection of ourselves… They are towards us as we are to them.
My plan for this trip was to go for as many pushbike rides as possible. It has been 17 years since I last rode a pushbike, and I just wanted to make the most out of it.
However, for Friday, the forecast was storms and heavy rains. I didn’t like the idea of getting caught in the rain while trying to find my way on a wobbly pushbike (well, there was nothing wrong with the bike; just the rider lacked experience), so I decided to go for a hike.
On my way back, I met an enthusiastic lady dressed in a t-shirt, vest with an endless number of pockets, lightweight leggings and a hydration pack in the form of a backpack. In her hands, she held trekking poles. Her steps were fast and energetic, and her face was decorated with a big smile.
We stopped and chatted for a while. Sonya told me she loved hiking and running and was training for a marathon run. “I’m 65, but it is never too late to live your dreams. I had to look after my children and family when I was younger, and I couldn’t do these things. Finally, now, I can start ticking off all the activities from my bucket list!” she said, and I was truly impressed by her spirit.
With every sentence we exchanged, we discovered more and more things we had in common. We even both spoke German, though she had never been to Germany. “If you are at the caravan park, then I will visit you tomorrow with my friend, Margit, who is Austrian, and we could speak German to get some practice!” — Sonya mentioned, and I was thrilled about that idea. I was excited to meet even more people from the area who, like me, love hiking.
I came back to the caravan, and with great enthusiasm, I exclaimed, “I met this lovely lady!”. I didn’t want to say too much as I knew George wouldn’t be impressed by Sonya’s spirit and would start criticising her, but I just couldn’t contain my excitement. I told him Sonya, with one of her friends, would visit me the following day.
George is an interesting character. He actually likes meeting people; however, not the type of people I meet, people beaming with joy, enthusiasm and happiness. He prefers to have someone with whom he can grumble about how difficult and unfair life is…
Saturday afternoon, Sonya, with her partner and a friend Margit, visited me. They brought cake, biscuits, wine and even a couple of chairs, as they knew, at the caravan, I wouldn’t have many options to welcome visitors. While the men were chatting among themselves, we girls decided to have a conversation in German. We talked about anything, discovering how much we had in common, and we had a wonderful time!
Before they left, Margit asked me, “What are you up to tomorrow? I’m planning to go for a hike, so if you don’t have any plans….” “I would love to join you!” — I replied joyfully.
Sunday early morning, I took my pushbike and 10min later, I was having a cup of tea at Margit. A few minutes after my arrival, her son, Yohan, entered the kitchen and decided to go hiking with us. The young man was very mature for his age, and we had plenty of great conversations. I was impressed by his life experiences and the unusual for a 20ty-years-old outlook on life.
We were well into our walk when I remembered other lovely people I met here a few months earlier and said to Margit
“Yesterday, I wanted to visit these lovely farmers I met here a while ago, but their ute wasn’t there when I was passing their home. They live…” — I continued describing where they were living when Margit interrupted me
“Oh, you mean Eric and Beth?”
“Yes! Do you know them?” — I replied, surprised
“Of course I do! Beth is like a mum to me! It’s a pity you didn’t mention it earlier; we could have visited them on the way here,” — said Margit
“Well, we still can visit them on our way back”, — I responded, smiling
And so, when we were back in town, we visited the lovely elderly farmers. I was touched when, after a short while, they recognized me and even remembered my name. It was such a sweet encounter!
That evening, I decided to walk to the “Big Hill”. It was already dark, and I could see a torch light in the distance. I was a bit hesitant at first; who could it be? Friends or enemies? If I cried for help there, nobody would hear me anyway…
Luckily, it turned out it was… you guessed it, a lovely couple in their sixties, also staying at the caravan park. We chatted for probably half an hour!
Monday morning, I decided to go for a pushbike ride and then meet George at 11 am for a coffee at the local newsagent. Well, all went well, and I was on time, but then, when I was passing Eric’s and Beth’s place, I noticed that my friends were standing at the fence chatting with someone. So, of course, I had to stop and say hello! And so I got introduced to more lovely people!
And then my phone rang… It was George… “Where are you?!” — he asked in an agitated voice. “I am at Beth’s, and I’m on my way! I’m so sorry! I’ll be there in 10min,” — I replied, excited and stressed at the same time.
Well, this story wasn’t that much fun, because I was 20min late and George, rightfully, was furious with me… Anyway, I bought him lunch, and he calmed down.
That evening, I went to the camp kitchen to grill some fish for dinner and… When I returned to the caravan, I had the following conversation with George:
“40 min to grill a fish?! Were you fishing first before you could grill it?” — said agitated George
“Ugh… no, but…” — I mumbled
“Let me guess! You met ‘these lovely people’, didn’t you?!” — continued George
“Yes, exactly! They were charming and…” — I started telling with great excitement, but then I realised it was better to keep quiet.
While I had a great time during my short holidays, meeting all these lovely people, George was mostly alone, getting angry with all the kids driving their pushbikes around the park or with the families having their get-togethers and enjoying themselves, not exactly quietly.
Sometimes I had to laugh at him and how he was trying to stop the kids from getting close to the caravan. “You look like Gargamel from The Smurfs! You are at war with the kids here,” — I joked, and George replied with a chuckle, “Yes, and I’m winning!”
Watching George get upset with everyone made me think of our trip years ago. We stayed at a caravan park somewhere in the Outback. One day, George went to the amenities and came back very upset. He told me he met these super arrogant people. From what George told me, these people were dreadful, and I felt sorry for George.
A few hours later, I went for a walk with Daisy, and we met these lovely people on the way. When I came back, of course, I had to share my experience with George. While talking to him, I noticed the friendly strangers walking to the caravan park. “Look, these are the friendly people I met on my walk!” — I exclaimed, and George replied, “What?! These are the arrogant people I met at the amenities!”. After that, I didn’t say anything anymore about this topic…
What about you? Do you love meeting new people? Do you find most people are friendly, or is your experience different to mine?
Disclaimer: If we want to love the world, if we want to love other people, we have to start with loving ourselves. If we don’t love ourselves, we are at risk of being used and abused. Unfortunately, there are plenty of kind and warmhearted people who become victims of abuse. So remember, any love starts with self-love.
And now is the time to share a few inspiring stories by others DEP writers. But first, thank you, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, for this great topic!
I loved My mind story, and I deeply agree with his words:
The most inspiring part of my trip was the people I encountered along the way. Everyone I encountered was so friendly and welcoming, eager to share their stories and the secrets of their part of the world.
It’s not surprising that as an animals lover and someone who finds joy in nature, I could relate very well to Shubha Apte words
In a world that is consumed by technology and the hustle and bustle of daily life, this picture serves as a reminder to slow down, enjoy simple things in life and nurture the connections we have with others, whether they are humans or animals.
I also got touched by NancyO story about spring and how her mum planted yellow irises in her garden (oh well, kind of — you have to check her story; such a beautiful tribute to her mum)
There are plenty more posts I enjoyed reading; however, I can’t share them all here. So I only add one more, a wonderful poem by Sanghita Pal
