I’ve always liked those little triangles the maids put on the toilet paper in hotels. It’s easy to find the end to pull and they just look cute. I do not, on the other hand, understand this hotel’s policy of taking the last 18 inches of toilet paper and stuffing it into the cardboard roll in the middle. It means I have to take the entire roll off the holder, remove the wadded mess, and replace the roll before using. Or giving me one of those step-on-the-handle bathroom waste containers and then placing it so far under the counter that I have to reach in with my hands to bring it out and then step on the handle to deposit the waste. Or having a bath mat so long that it covers the drain and keeps the shower water from flowing out. Petty bathroom irritations.
Or filling up the rental car before returning it and watching in horror as the little numbers keep spinning around, finally reaching 68 euros – just under $100 for a half tank of gas. Or paying $5 for a coffee that comes in a cup about half the size of a cup in the US, making it about 1/6 the size of my morning mug. Those are petty money irritations.
Or loving the open door to the balcony, loving the sunshine and fresh breezes…when a fly and a mosquito come for a visit and I spend hours chasing them around my hotel room. Much like the fly that lands in my salad dressing as I enjoy an elegant al fresco meal. Those are petty insect irritations.
Or being glad to be on my way to Drachten so I can leave behind all of those Euro Dog Show yappers that took over the hotel, the dining room, and the sidewalks around my hotel. The sidewalks were soon spotted with little yapper leavings, since there aren’t any laws about dog doodoo deposits on the walkways. So you can imagine my dismay when I discovered my hotel in Drachten was another central headquarters for the Euro Dog Show gang and the hallway to my room was full of yapping dogs and the smell of kibble. When I was checking in, I was startled by someone licking my arm. It was a big black dog with soulful eyes who stared at me in worship. His owner apologized and said his dog never did such things, that the dog had been the champion in his class at the show as well as the world champion and was very well trained. Nevertheless, the dog was in love with me and could not keep his tongue to himself. He licked and licked and stood as close as possible. The owner was embarrassed but intrigued while I suspect it was nothing more than my hand tasted like hamburger or something.
Or being lost. I did fine with my rental car, even though it was a stick shift. It stopped dying in traffic the minute I discovered first and second gears – starting out in third gear is a little harder to do. But getting lost in Leeuwarden is so very easy to do. It took me several attempts to get back to my hotel from the Dokkum highway. After dropping off the luggage and brushing my teeth, I studied the map carefully and decided I knew how to get back to the rental car agency. I kept getting lost and getting lost and growing more and more frustrated. When I came to the end of a street and didn’t know which way to turn, I was reaching the end of my rope. At which point the car died. When I tried to turn it back on….nothing. Totally dead, not even a click. I decided not to cry.
I switched on the emergency blinkers and tried to think what I was going to do next. The usual highway Plan B (use the cell phone to call AAA) wasn’t going to work here since I didn’t have a phone and there was no AAA. I had no Plan B, I didn’t know where I was, and didn’t know who to call even if I had a phone to use. The cars kept going around me, giving me those irritated looks of people who have to go around a human barrier. Then a BMW stopped next to me and the driver asked if I needed help. She said she was going to park and would be right back. This woman was so pretty. Beauty queen pretty, movie star beautiful, maybe a model. The kind of woman I associate with selfishness and superficiality. She came back to my car, asked questions, put me at ease, figured out the situation, and knew what she would do. We decided to try the car one last time and it started right up. I was going to resume the search for my destination but Miss Beauty Queen was having none of that. She found out where I wanted to go and then led me there, chastised the Avis agent for giving me a defective car, gave me a hug, and went off. Once I had checked in the rental car, the agent phoned for a taxi but they were very busy and said it would be an hour before they could send anyone. The older woman who works as a bookkeeper in the office just got to her feet and said she’d take me back to the hotel. She refused my money, refused my thanks, and insisted she just wanted me to enjoy my visit to the Netherlands.
One of the things I’m taking away from this trip is the kindness of strangers and the absolute relief I felt when someone took a few minutes to help me with a small struggle. I’m wondering how many times I could have helped strangers but just passed them by because I was busy or just self-absorbed. I promise that this is the number one thing I’m going to work on. I’m going to be more observant about the things going on around me and I’m going to help every chance I get. Little irritations I have always understood. What I now recognize is how important little helpful acts can be.
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