The "Spirit" of the Season

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The "Spirit" of the Season - 12/23/2012 7:59:55 AM

dcnovice

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Last night was hellish.

A week of medical misadventures had derailed my productivity at work, and I was at my desk way past sundown, trying to finish the next issue of the magazine I edit. I discovered around nine or so that one of the news items I was editing needed a photo of a wild turkey. Sigh.

There was one attached to the press release my colleagues down the hall had issued, but it wasn't high-resolution enough for glossy paper. Nor did I know if I had the right to use it. Of course, there was no info anywhere on how to track down the photographer (whose name I'd never encountered before).

Happily, good old Google came through eventually, and I found myself--on an oh-so-exciting Saturday night--trading emails with a true gentleman in Montana. When I explained my crunch, he kindly dropped whatever he was doing, and immediately sent me half a dozen stunning, high-resolution images. To avoid crashing email servers, each had to be sent separately, so this was no small kindness.

His fee for all this? A request for a modest donation to the food bank where he volunteers. I was incredibly touched by his unselfish generosity, doubled the amount, and paid it gratefully. It was the high point of a long night.

For me, this quiet kindness brought home the often elusive "spirit" of the season. Has anyone or anything done that for you lately? If so, please consider sharing your heart-warming stories.

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No matter how cynical you become,
it's never enough to keep up.

JANE WAGNER, THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF
INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

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RE: The "Spirit" of the Season - 12/23/2012 8:19:52 AM

needlesandpins

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that's lovely to read.

as some know here my son and i are officially classed as homeless at the moment, and we are having a really tough time. our local council have let us down big time, and it is only the help of some lovely ladies that has given me a heads up as to how to go about things with them. they have done this to their own detriment financially too. my solicitor has seen me 3 times now and not charged me a penny. also, i know this is friends but still, my friends are not in a position to help the boy and i financially, but they went out of their way to produce a wonderful meal for us, and decorated the dining room for it too. they have also invited us for christmas day with their family so that we knew we wouldn't be on our own, or somewhere miserable for the day. my son's boss bought me a christmas gift as well as the boy even though i know they don't have alot of money either. he has also offered to help us move all our stuff even though i know he struggles with his back.

there have been lots of little things that people have done that have made things a bit easier for us.

some of the most touching things have been messages from people on here that i've had sending us special thoughts. these are not people that i have met, and most are in the USA while i'm in the UK, but it's lovely that they have taken the time to personally mail me offering those thoughts, or wishing that we were closer so that they could offer practical help.

there are some lovely people out there.

i'm not sure if the above is what you were meaning, but it's what has made things better for me.

needles

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RE: The "Spirit" of the Season - 12/23/2012 8:27:30 AM

LaTigresse

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DC, right now my brain is not firing on all 12 cylinders (cuz it's a high performance sports car yanno..) so I cannot think of any one thing.

BUT, I really am fortunate to live, and work, in environments that are extremely conducive to the sort of thing you are describing. I see it frequently. I love that people don't need a season to be kind and giving. I don't really notice any sort of increase, just because of a religious holiday.

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My twisted, self deprecating, sense of humour, finds alot to laugh about, in your lack of one!

Just because you are well educated, articulate, and can use big, fancy words, properly........does not mean you are right!

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RE: The "Spirit" of the Season - 12/23/2012 8:44:50 AM

kdsub

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Just as a side note, in case you are not aware, there are many sites on line some free others for small fees that have every kind of picture you may need.

As an editor you most likely know this already but if not here are a few that may be useful.

Butch

Such as:

http://www.sxc.hu/

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/

http://www.trulyfreestock.com/

http://macdesktops.com/

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RE: The "Spirit" of the Season - 12/23/2012 8:48:09 AM

lizi

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To me, that type of thing really says Christmas spirit. I usually find myself wishing that Christmas spirit wasn't limited to Christmas though.

What an inventive and lovely request from the gentlemen who helped. It was nice reading about it, thanks for sharing.

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RE: The "Spirit" of the Season - 12/23/2012 8:51:57 AM

lmpishlilhellcat

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I think that's absolutely amazing!!!

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RE: The "Spirit" of the Season - 12/23/2012 9:14:43 AM

Level

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Great story, dc.

needles, I hope things get better for you, soon.

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Fake the heat and scratch the itch
Skinned up knees and salty lips
Let go it's harder holding on
One more trip and I'll be gone

~~ Stone Temple Pilots

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RE: The "Spirit" of the Season - 12/23/2012 9:17:51 AM

Missokyst

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Yesterday on our local news there was a story about a few people handing out envelopes in the park with 20 dollars and meal coupons. I thought that was pretty nice.

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pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding ~Gibran, Kahlil

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”
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RE: The "Spirit" of the Season - 12/23/2012 9:45:12 AM

TheHeretic

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quote:

ORIGINAL: lizi

I usually find myself wishing that Christmas spirit wasn't limited to Christmas though.

That's always a nice sentiment to express, but given the way I tend to go overboard at this time of year, completely impractical. I need to budget like Scrooge in January, or we'd be needing a food bank and homeless shelter ourselves.

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If you lose one sense, your other senses are enhanced.
That's why people with no sense of humor have such an inflated sense of self-importance.

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