Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2019-02

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IN THIS ISSUE

• In this Heroic Story, a woman is helped by a stranger
• Kate Brookfield congratulates us on another year
• Geoff Goodship believes that one is never too old to learn
• Tom Telfer forwards Steve Jobs´ last letter
• Catherine Nesbitt sends a story about a perfect man
• Irene Harvalias shares a story of an inebriated Englishman
• The editor brags about her long life ;)
• Tom Telfer suggests a video of an Elvis Presley concert

Linda H. from Victoria, Australia, writes about

A HOT PAY IT FORWARD

I live in the country they call "Down Under," where it is hot at Christmas. Today is the last day of the year, and it is very hot. I´m not good with heat, and my age doesn´t aid my memory.

When I told my husband that I needed to go and visit a sick friend, he asked me to fill the car up with petrol (gas, in some other corners of the globe.) Even though we´ve had this car for over a year, I´ve never had to fill it up; my husband usually does that.

I´m not very confident about the distance between the car and the petrol dispensers on my left. I had to go forward and backward a couple of times to have the car in the right position. A nice young man nearby encouraged me, saying, "You can do it!"

After the tank was full and the cap screwed on, I discovered that I´d left my purse with all my money, cards and identification, at home! It was Monday, and on Sunday we attend church, for which I have a special handbag into which I load my money, phone, and a few other things. On Monday all this goes back into the everyday handbag. Only, today it was too hot for me to think clearly; I managed the phone and my emergency medication, but totally forgot about the purse.

Very embarrassed, hot, and flustered, I explained to the young man at the counter that I didn´t have anything with me except my phone. I explained that I only live about 10 minutes away. Could he perhaps just note the registration number of the car? No, he said, because I could have stolen the car, what I thought was a reasonable deduction. I can´t blame the young man; he was very polite.

While I was standing there trying to work out what to do, a man came in wanting to pay for his petrol. He stood there patiently and seemed interested in our conversation. Just as the young attendant said I should leave him my phone, the man behind me asked how much I owed. The attendant told him $17. Without any further question, he told the attendant that he would pay it to save me having to run home and back in the heat.

He wouldn´t give me any information so I could pay him back; he just said, "Pay it forward sometime you can help someone else."

Today I became convinced that good-hearted people are still around, and they can show up when you least expect and most need them!

E-mail subscriptions to HeroicStories are FREE. Sign up here: HeroicStories.org.

CORRESPONDENCE

Kate Brookfield writes: Congratulations on the next volume.

I had to smile at the woman narrating the Heroic Story! She was full of sympathy for the tired pregnant woman, but didn´t offer her her seat! "I was sitting close enough to hear her tell her husband that her feet were hurting her badly, and she didn´t know how much longer she could keep going on this particular trip. "

Hope your readers send you some good stories this year!

Ed. Note: Thank you, Kate, for noticing that we are now in the Spinner´s 25th year! And I too hope for lots of good stories. ;)

Geoff Goodship learns a new skill:

NEVER TOO OLD

"You can´t teach an old dog new tricks," and "Never too old to learn." These old truisms conflict with each other, so let´s examine the evidence. It appears to me that a great deal of learning and adaptation is necessary in our senior years. We´re not talking just academic learning here. Jean´s recent editorials on everything from pantyhose to operating an electric cart are fine examples.

Most of us learn new things as the need arises. A hip or knee replacement teaches us to dress differently. Arthritis and other medical conditions related to aging have a similar effect. It´s often said that getting older isn´t for sissies, but that doesn´t mean that we can´t learn.

An accidental fall some months ago has left me with an impaired right hand. Typing was difficult. The left hand knew what to do, but the right hand made many mistakes. It was discouraging, so I decided to try a new approach.

Have you heard of Googles "Speech to Text" function? I now speak my e-mail and several other functions. It was fun to learn. Just give it a try. Start by pressing the microphone icon (bottom left of your keyboard.) Start by speaking one sentence at a time, and remember to shut off the microphone between sentences. Also, speak punctuation, commas, periods, quotation marks, etc.

With a short period of daily practice you will be freed from typing. You will quickly find that speaking is much faster than typing. Within a week you will have taught yourself something new and useful too: "Speech to Text."

Another example: the next time you have to do a Google search, click the microphone and speak the topic you are seeking. Its just faster!

Who among you ties your shoelaces as you did when you were 20? We all have to adapt to the changes our senior years bring. Some of these may be funny. Some may be a little frightening. Whether it´s dressing, driving, drinking, or doing our income taxes, we all have the need to learn and adapt.

Please take a few minutes to share your story of "Never too old to learn."

Tom Telfer forwards a message worth reading twice:

THE SIX BEST DOCTORS IN THE WORLD

Steve Jobs died a billionaire at age 56. This is his final essay: I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In some others´ eyes, my life is the epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, my wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to. At this moment, lying on my bed and recalling my life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in have paled and become meaningless in the face of my death. You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you, but you cannot have someone bear your sickness for you. Material things lost can be found or replaced. But there is one thing that can never be found when it´s lost - life. Whichever stage in life you are in right now, with time, you will face the day when the curtain comes down. Treasure love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well and cherish others. As we grow older, and hopefully wiser, we realize that a $300 or a $30 watch both tell the same time. You will realize that your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world. Whether you fly first class or economy, if the plane goes down - you go down with it. Therefore, I hope you realize that when you have mates, buddies, and old friends, brothers and sisters, who you chat with, laugh with, talk with, have sing songs with, talk about north-south-east-west or heaven and earth, that is true happiness!

Don´t educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy, so when they grow up they will know the value of things and not the price. Eat your food as your medicine, otherwise you have to eat medicine as your food. The one who loves you will never leave you for another because, even if there are 100 reasons to give up, he or she will find a reason to hold on.

There is a big difference between a human being and being human. Only a few really understand it. You are loved when you are born. You will be loved when you die. In between, you have to manage! The six best doctors in the world are sunlight, rest, exercise, diet, self-confidence, and friends. Maintain them in all stages and enjoy a healthy life.

Catherine Nesbitt shares the story of

THE PERFECT MAN

A man walks out to the street and catches a taxi just going by. He gets into the taxi, and the cabbie says, "Perfect timing. You´re just like Frank."

Passenger: "Who?"

Cabbie: "Frank Feldman. He´s a guy who did everything right all the time. Like my coming along when you needed a cab, things happened like that to Frank Feldman every single time."

Passenger: "There are always a few clouds over everybody."

Cabbie: "Not Frank Feldman. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the Grand Slam at tennis. He could golf with the pros. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star, and you should have heard him play the piano. He was an amazing guy."

Passenger: "Sounds like he was really something special."

Cabbie: "There´s more. He had a memory like a computer. He remembered everybody´s birthday. He knew all about wine, which foods to order, and which fork to eat them with. He could fix anything. Not like me. I change a fuse, and the whole street blacks out. But Frank Feldman could do everything right."

Passenger: "Wow, what a guy!"

Cabbie: "He always knew the quickest way to go in traffic and avoid traffic jams. Not like me, I always seem to get stuck in them. But Frank, he never made a mistake, and he really knew how to treat a woman and make her feel good. He would never answer her back even if she was in the wrong; and his clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too. He was the perfect man! He never made a mistake No one could ever measure up to Frank Feldman."

Passenger: "How did you meet him?"

Cabbie: "I never actually met Frank. He died and I married his wife."

Irene Harvalias sends a true story of

A D.W.I. TEST

This actually happened to an Englishman in France, who was totally drunk

A French policeman stops the Englishman´s car and asks if he has been drinking.

With great difficulty, the Englishman admits that he has been drinking all day, that his daughter got married that morning, and that he drank champagne and a few bottles of wine at the reception, and many single malt scotches thereafter.

Quite upset, the policeman proceeds to breath test the Englishman and verifies that he is indeed completely hammered.

He asks the Englishman if he knows why, under French law, he is going to be arrested.

The Englishman answers with a bit of humour, "No sir, I do not! But while we´re asking questions, do you realize that this is a British car, and my wife is driving on the other side?

FROM THE EDITOR´S DESKTOP

Will Rogers said, "Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me! I want people to know why I look this way. I´ve travelled a long way, and some of the roads weren´t paved."

I will be 97 on Monday, and I too have travelled a long way! But I´ve been fortunate in having two great children, Judith and Jay, who are helping me while I am slowing down. I´ve also had many good friends, some of whom are gone now, but remain in my memory.

I am also fortunate to have had all the readers of the Tale Spinner, who have shared their stories and jokes, and kept me company in the past 24 years. Also, Jay and Burke Dykes have shared their expertise with me, and put the Spinners on their websites. Thanks, guys!

SUGGESTED SITES

Tom Telfer forwards the URL for a video of Elvis Presley performing at a concert:

This site shows a water turbine that provides power all day by converting the currents´ motion into electricity:

From Not All News Is Bad comes this story of how the family of an animal shelter volunteer secrety adopted her favourite dog for her Christmas present:

When a WW2 veteran is saddened by his upcoming birthday, 50,000 strangers give him a reason to smile:

Pam Bales left the firm pavement of the Base Road and stepped onto the snow-covered Jewell Trail to begin her October climb. However, footprints in the snow lead her to an emotional rescue:

Hydrothermal energy has the potential to deliver five times the power of nuclear energy. If the economic and technical challenges can be met, this is a monumental step towards a truly renewable energy solution:

In this TED talk, Teva Sienicki talks about her non-profit´s efforts to end intergenerational poverty: