Friends, Family, and Coincidence

This post was inspired by a series of events that made a potentially bad situation much easier.

       A few Wednesdays ago I was working the weekly Legion dinner at our local post (306 in Middlesex). We set a speed record as we served 71 meals in only 11 minutes. Normally those working the dinners get a free meal but this time there were no leftovers as more people than usual came for dinner so we jumped right into washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Since we were done early with cleanup, I went to our local brewery - https://www.ashtonbrewing.com/ - for a couple of pints before they closed.

        As would later turn out to be a stroke of good luck, I ran into one of our friends at the bar. We talked over a pint, then the rain and wind hit. Stuck in the brewery we ordered another pint to wait it out. A few sips into that second pint, my wife called to tell me a tree had come down on our house. Our friend immediately said he would come to our house to help. As soon as the storm passed, we headed out.

       Upon arrival we found the small (thankfully) tree closest to our house had split and fallen against the house. Our friend told me he has a Sawzall and pruning blades, so he went home to grab them. With his help and the implements of destruction he brought, we were able to cut up the biggest branches and get the tree off the house. I would not have thought to call him so the happy coincidence of going to the brewery provided the tools and extra muscle to get the tree off the house much more easily than if I had to do it on my own. We were also able to cut the tree to take weight off the house before removing the upper branches from the roof. Again, luck was with us and there was no damage to the roof, gutters, siding or windows.

         That was the coincidence and friend part, now for the family part. My wife’s sister and her husband live close by, and he came over with a pruning pole ready to help. While my friend and I cut the tree and worked to get it off the house, our brother-in-law worked with my wife to cut the pieces into more manageable pieces for me to deal with in the morning. With the combined help we were able to knock out the whole job in about an hour. It took me 4 hours and 4 trips to the recycling center the next day to get rid of all the debris but the whole episode would have been much worse without their help and that lucky coincidence of the dinner work finishing early, me going to the brewery, and our friend being there. Without that set of events, it would have been my brother-in-law and me taking several hours to do the work. We were very lucky to have no damage and we are very thankful for the help we got.

Thanks Steve & Lee for all your help!

        There are several potential takeaways to this story. One could make the case for going to the brewery more often as you never know who you will meet there and what positive impact that could have. OK, that’s a stretch but I bet at least a few of you are thinking about the same justification for visiting your local watering hole. Another is that one good deed leads to others (some would call it karma) – me working the weekly dinners to help raise money for veterans came back to me in the form of Steve and Lee pitching in to clear the tree – and Steve leaving me a pruning blade for my Sawzall. Still another is that things happen for a reason and the early exit from the Legion and stop at the brewery were supposed to happen as part of the grand scheme of life.

        Whatever your takeaway is from this little story, be thankful for the friends and family in your life and the happy coincidences that make life a bit better.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com  08-05-2024