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Hi from England!
This newsletter arrives with some delay, but the heat got me.
As you surely know, record-breaking temperatures have disrupted life across Europe, with data showing that this continent is warming faster than any other.
It’s not much different in the United Kingdom. As temperatures rose to the high 30s, just like this newsletter, trains were also late. In the London Tube, readings in the carriages of the busy Central Line showed highs of 39.4ºC. Even the event on the extreme heat had to be cancelled because of, well, extreme heat.
So, my escape to England’s southern shores was supported by a survival instinct. Temperatures in Littlehampton, the Sussex town where the heat is mostly raised in the pans that fry fish and chips, and poison pen letters, were at least bearable.
If you’re wondering how they refresh themselves in the birthplace of James Bond, the answer is: Littlehampton Beach. Oh, how helpful those chilly shallows were! Cooling in the sea and walking over the long promenade against the breeze were tactics that saved my sanity.
In this quiet coastal town, I even marked my birthday. Well, I don’t celebrate those things much. But my friends made sure I had a nice time.
Their old neighbors invited them for lunch, and I tagged along, despite having reservations about spending my “special day” in the company of people I’ve never seen, and maybe have nothing in common with.
But the welcome of these strangers was extremely heartfelt. The lady in her 70s made an incredible BBQ feast, with burgers, sausages, teriyaki chicken, chicken satay, cheese-filled potatoes, three types of salad… The list hardly stopped.
And then, as the sun still chased us around the parasol, we moved from the garden to the shade of a shed. While I sipped on a glass of bubbly, the lady of the house surprised me from behind with a raspberry tart and a small dessert glass with homegrown cherries and a lit candle on top – the inevitable “Happy birthday” song broke out.
I’m not the greatest fan of birthday surprises, but experiencing kindness from strangers always touches me. Generous ladies impressed me from Cambodia to Hungary, and this one in West Sussex, taking the time to go the extra mile just to put a smile on the face of a person she had never met, was equally moving.
But what struck me here happened when we were already packed to leave, squeezed in the smallest car imaginable. She approached my friend to whisper goodbye, and then I heard words that tore apart: “They were giving me five years. Now, I’m in seventh. But I feel good. They say you feel the best just before you go. We shall see…”
On the day I was supposed to celebrate life (my birthday coincidentally gifting me with the horoscope sign of Cancer), this kind lady, who had battled a real cancer and seemingly had not much life to celebrate, showed up with extreme positivity.
Hearing all the sincere laughter, camping adventure anecdotes, and excitement for upcoming cruises with her equally retired husband, while enjoying a feast she selflessly decided to share with a complete stranger, I would never have guessed that this was a person who would, at that moment in the car, tell us possibly her last goodbye.
My father passed away after battling the same disease, but in the case of my unexpected birthday host, there was something rather encouraging – this energy that says life is worth living fully in every little moment, shared with those you love but also those you’ve never even met before, came with a smile and laughter and common joy.
That was the energy of living in the moment, today. There’s no tomorrow. There’s no next month, or next winter, or next year. Well, except for that planned cruise.
As we are putting an effort into managing how to survive the heat, we should double those efforts into ensuring that selfless kindness as an approach to life not only survives but flourishes, in every moment we share among ourselves.
Have a kind midweek,
Ivan Kralj
Pipeaway.com
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