Gratitudes

Three days ago I put a request on Facebook to ask if any of my outdoorsy friends had a canoe I could borrow, rent or even buy - within an hour I'd had several offers - I know some wonderful people. A daft mixup meant I ended up with a canoe and no paddle - but that also was fixed with hours. It's a simple thing, but it's made me smile. It also made me pause and ponder as I floated along today.

I've long standing friends, non really from school, but my oldest friends are from my late teens and early 20's. I made a few friends in two decades of business life, but not any I can really claim to be especially close with.
But since we decided to change our lives 6 years ago I can honestly say I've made more friends than in the first 40years of my life, something I'm immensely grateful for. Partly I think it's a camaraderie, a bond of common endeavour and passion - but also a little bit I think is due to the efforts I made in my darkest time to make myself be positive, to give as much as I could, to always assume the best of people, however hard that was at times. Slowly, steadily that just became who I am, how I see the world, how I hope the world sees me.

I know everyone goes through difficult times - but how we come out of them is a choice. Perhaps this should have been a Philosophy Friday or even a Top Tips Tuesday - but if I could give one piece of advice it's this, Ask. If you need help, a favour or just a listening ear then ask, most people are inherrently good and there'll be more help than you think.
And if life's good and you don't need help? Then ask yourself if or how you can help someone else, I promise it'll pay you back so so so many times over.