Priceless Good Deeds

I’ve never had the lavish lifestyle, my mother always made sure I had what I needed and if she could, she would try to get something I wanted. But the most valuable thing my mother gave me was a lesson, never think you are better than anyone, always treat everyone with respect and kindness. I watched for years as my mother didn’t always have money to spare but she was always helping others. If she saw someone struggling she never hesitated to help, but I have also seen a few people take advantage of my mothers’ kindness. This never once caused her to become bitter, she still has the biggest most kindest heart I’ve ever known.

My mother and father as far as I know separated before I was born. They didn’t always get along they both have different parenting styles. My dad had two other children with my stepmother, my little brother, and my little sister. My stepmother had some health difficulties and had to go into hospital when my little sister was about two years old, that made me about thirteen and my brother ten. My father still had to work nights and no one else could take in my brother and sister at that time. It was only for a few nights, but even with the fact father and mother didn’t always get along, my father asked my mother as she was the only other person he could think of. My mother of course was more than happy to help.

The one thing that was the same in both of their parenting styles was they always taught us to help if we can. That why I grew up always wanting to help people who needed it, but also wanted a well-paid position because I wanted my mother to be able to have a comfortable retirement. I used to tell her I was going to have a mansion and she could live there for free all she had to do was baby sit her grandkids while I worked.

I wanted to be a social worker but never got the grades, but at the moment I work in hospitality. I still get to help people. But recently I’ve been thinking I should do some online therapist courses; I did want to be an art therapist at one point as well. But with my current mental health issues I have come to realise there isn’t enough help out there for people. There is no definitive fix for mental health illnesses.

I also realised that Christmas is where we feel it the most. We get depressed and feel hopeless if we can’t give other people presents, especially if you have kids. This year there was a community councillor who asked for items to be donated to a single mother who had escaped a bad situation with her kids and all they had was a few clothing items. My mother went out and bought them a new kettle and toaster. With my money situation I wanted to help but considering I couldn’t even buy my own family gifts I didn’t know how to help another family. I went around my home and looked for stuff we didn’t use or didn’t want that they could get the use out of. It was only a few bath gifts sets but it was better than nothing made me feel like I was helping.

Along with helping people I have always been taught that not all homeless people are genuinely homeless, so sometimes it’s best to just buy them some food and give it to them. There was this one evening I had just finished work had just walked round to the bus stop. It was dark and freezing cold, this old man approached me and asked if I had any spare change because he had lost his bus ticket. He seemed very confused, but I was only nineteen or twenty at the time, I was very wary of the fact it was dark, I was alone, and a strange man had come up to me. So, at first I had said I didn’t think I had any spare change on me. But as I watched him cross the road, I could tell he seemed lost and almost frozen to the core. I ran after him even though I was at risk of missing the last bus home and gave him the only five pound note I had.

He was so thankful that he would be able to get home, he kept thanking me, but I just told him it was okay just get home safe and get warm. I felt really bad for him, in my personal opinion he shouldn’t have been out alone, he should have had a carer or a family member with him. it made me extremely upset thinking his family may not care enough or even know he was missing from his home.

The whole world should be a community, we should all be looking out for each other not just friends and family. We should check in on neighbours, have pen pals. Sometimes people just need someone to talk to. Even if you don’t have much to give, you can give your time, your kindness. It doesn’t cost anything to care, and don’t feel disheartened if someone takes advantage of you it’s their loss not yours.