Yesterday I drove a Meals on Wheels route that
took me hither, thither and yon--and also down Pine Hall Road.
This desolate beauty stands in the middle of a field on a dirt lane
I drove down frequently in my younger years.
It was fun to go fast because the tires kicked up dust.
(In case I've not mentioned it lately, options for entertainment in Mathews County
were--and still are--on the sparse side. So we invented our own fun.)
(Sometimes that fun included driving a little faster than recommended
down dirt lanes solely for the dust effect.)
Anyway.
This particular Meals on Wheels route was a new one for me. I delivered to 15 people over a span of about as many miles. Of those, two were women I could have sat and talked to for hours. One greeted me at the door in her bathrobe. She wasted no time telling me how grateful she was to be warm and alive and how spring was just around the corner. The sparkle in her eye was contagious.
The other, who suffers from a Parskinsons-like tremor in one hand--asked if I would help zip up her fleece vest (over her shirt, for warmth in an otherwise toasty living room), which she'd been attempting all morning long. She was particularly grateful that a female was delivering today, "because if a man showed up, I couldn't ask him." Hours of frustration trying to zip a simple zipper. Compounded by the worry of whether a male or female would show up with lunch. I can't even imagine.
When I asked if there was anything else I could do for her as long as I was there, we both had a good laugh when she said, "Scrub my kitchen floor!"
An elderly woman living alone spending the entirety of her morning attempting to zip up her own vest really puts things into perspective when you see it with your own eyes.
A bathrobe-clad woman trapped indoors talking about how grateful she is just to be alive and how hopeful she is for spring makes you stop complaining about anything.
Meals on Wheels is a gift to this community, to both the people receiving and the people delivering.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Have a wonderful weekend.
~~~~~~~~~~~
2 comments:
I don't know whether I mentioned before that I used to work for a meal delivery job one year. So many wonderful people on my route...I did eventually have to resign... as I took the job while newly pregnant with my second child, and by the 8th month, neither my body nor my old car could keep up with the delivery schedule...especially with a delivery of my own pending in the near future. Do any high schoolers in the county need community service hours ? I loved working with elders when I was a teen.
LLC
So glad you titled the post deserted, because hopefully neither of those dear ladies live in the house you photographed!
It is always fun to talk to the oldies. I know I love to read about what the area was like a long time ago. In fact I got a little delayed at the library today doing just that!
I am slowly getting used to living so close to the beach!! And making the most of any opportunity to get there!
Hope you have a great w'e. And good on you for volunteering to deliver those meals.
ps Typing the numbers into your word verification reminds me of trying to read and type the very small numbers for the password for my newly renovated wifi. I had to take it back up the street for them to read it for me!!
Post a Comment