This week’s challenge is in memory of Melanie (Sparks from a Combustible Mind) who used to host SYW. It was the last challenge she posted before Di (pensitivity101) took over in August 2022. Sadly Melanie died a year ago and Di has asked us to answer these questions in her memory. My answers are similar to those answered on 1 August 2022.

Do you ever feel more excited about getting the package in the mail, rather than the item that’s in it?

Receiving anything in the mail is a rare and exciting event in my neck of the woods. There is no postal service anywhere near us and so we rely on courier services.

The courier who delivers my orders from afar also gets a very warm welcome when he rings my doorbell.

What is the difference between your ideal self and your real self?  (i.e. what attribute or physical feature would allow you feel the ideal ‘you’?)

The difference between my ideal self and the real me is enormous. I am always somewhat surprised to look in the mirror and see an old lady instead of a gorgeous young girl with bouncy blond hair, sparkly eyes and clear unblemished skin! Sigh – the hair is dry and grey, the eyes dull green and the skin all wrinkly and marked with age spots. At school one day, one of the kiddies in my class asked me how old I was. When I answered that I was 21, he said, “My aunty is 21 and she doesn’t have crinkles!” To be honest, I have never looked in the mirror and seen the perfect me because she has never existed. So losing my looks has not been too much of a disappointment. I actually prefer my older self to my younger one. The striving to be perfect is over – now what you see is what you get – take it or leave it!

If you found $2,000 on the ground and there were no witnesses, what would you do with it?

Here is what I answered last year “I would certainly try to find the owner. Firstly, I would report my find to the police station and give my details. I would not hand the cash over. I am pretty confident that most of the officers at our local station are honest but one can never be too sure! Secondly, I would advertise on the group page that most residents of my town subscribe to. The one who can tell me how much I picked up will get it. If nobody comes to collect it then I’ll know I’m meant to keep it!“

Well, recently I actually had an experience like this. I found R800 lying on the floor in a shop. Somebody had clearly dropped it. It was a coffee/gift shop. I asked everybody around if they’d dropped the cash. Nobody had. So I gave it to the cashier and told her that if nobody came to claim it she was to share it with the other members of staff. I never found out whether it was claimed or not. So you never know what you will do until it actually happens to you.

Are you ever morally obliged to take action? Under what circumstances?

I pretty much believe that we should live and let live but there are certain times when as responsible citizens we should take action. We would all certainly report criminal activity that we see but do we pay attention to the clues of domestic abuse or pedophilia? If we do we should certainly take action.

When travelling in game reserves I become quite annoyed if I see people feeding the wildlife. I don’t hesitate to explain to them that this is signing the animal’s death warrant. Most of them are ignorant of the rules and grateful to learn that their ‘kindness’ is actually wrong. Others show me what their middle finger looks like.

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GRATITUDE SECTION
Please feel free to share how last week went for you.   Bright or not-so-bright spots?

For the eight years that I have lived in my current home, I have done without a dishwasher. I didn’t really miss it but because we often let out our home we decided to install one next to the washing machine in the laundry room. Oh wow – what a difference it has made to my life, especially after a dinner party! My kitchen is cleaned up in minutes and the next morning my dishes are cleaner than I can get them no matter how much I scour them.

I am grateful that a recent let paid for this new appliance!