It's The Little Things

I almost didn't write this, almost dismissed it. Focussing too much on what I think might sound good or make me sound interesting or whatever that thing we do to diminish our light is called, to keep ourselves stuck. But writing my morning pages first thing I realised that this IS important, to me, and that is enough.
Returning from a walk last week, approaching the flat, I noticed the wing mirror of my car had been damaged, it was just hanging by the wires, dangling sadly. And on the road the remnants of the other wing mirror, bits of plastic. 'Oh gosh' I thought to myself (if you believe that you will believe anything). I have a feeling I actually said the very rude word out loud, but anyway. On the windscreen is a note, and a name, and a phone number. So I rung it, as you would.
Spoke to a lovely man, very apologetic, explained what had happened, and I could completely understand, it is a narrow road, these things happen, no malice involved, and offered to pay. So I drove it to the garage, got a quote, rung him back. The next day a cheque arrived in the post and now its fixed; wouldn't notice the difference.
And that's how it very often is, decent behaviour from a decent man.
Yet to read the papers or watch the news what a very different world is presented to us. Fiddling expenses, corruption, recession, famine, mass murder and on and on. And here we are, going about our daily lives, nothing we can do about any of it, powerless, shut away in front of our telly's or on our computers and lose sight of some very fundemental things.
When I thanked this man and said how much I appreciated him leaving his details he said that is how he would want someone to behave if the same happened to him. Thinking of others before himself. Do unto other's etc.
This may seem a small thing but it's not. It's a decent thing, an honourable thing. It helps to restore trust in other's, we are not all fiddlers and shirkers. And it is an example of how we should behave, and can behave.
We can all give examples, and usually very loudly, of the 'other' behaviour, how we have been wronged, cheated, lied to, and not even notice when we are 'righted', when we are behaved decently towards, when we are honoured and treated kindly. So I am shouting this loudly, telling everyone, praising this behaviour, valuing it, holding it up.
It's the small things, done quietly, that mean the most. If only we would let them.