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scuffy b
climber
Bates Creek
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Jul 12, 2007 - 09:57pm PT
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Many years ago I was climbing at Donner Pass. I took a fall,
pulled some gear, and banged up my foot pretty well.
After recuperatin for a week, I found myself up there again
without a partner, but there was a group of young men from Japan.
I was wearing a T shirt form 10,000 Waves in Albuquerque(?) with
Japanese characters on it. They were pretty stoked, and taught
me the pronunciation. We toproped the thing that I had fallen
from and had a great time. When I was ready to leave, I pulled my
rope but forgot to go to the top and retrieve my gear from the
anchor. I realized it when I got back to Berkeley. I called the
Alpine Skills Institute, and one of their people went out to look
for my gear but couldn't find anything.
My next opportunity to get back was 5 days later. On top of the
rock I found my gear in a brown paper bag with a message:
"Attention. These are the equipments of Ten Thousand Waves.
Please leave here.
Japanese Climbers"
So, I plugged the pieces back into the cracks and set up the top
rope again. My partner and I had a good time, climbing and
chatting with a trio from the Sac area. When they were leaving
one said to the other, "Don't forget to grab that gear up on top
of the rock."
I said, "You mean the friends I left here last week, the ones
with my name engraved on them?"
He said, "Yeah, we were going to take them. People have to learn
that they can't do that kind of sh#t."
Hearbreaking to miss out on that kindly lesson, let me tell you.
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john hansen
climber
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Jul 12, 2007 - 10:57pm PT
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A few years back around thanksgiving I was buying some groceries at the supermarket. I had half a cart full of goodies like steak and stuffing mix and scalloped potatoes and even some Hagendas and a bunch of salad stuff ect.
In line behind me was a young mother with her two small children in tow. She only had one item to buy.. a can of soup.
You could tell they were kind of down on thier luck. I thought how nice it would be to pay for my stuff and then tell the cashier to give it to this young lady and her kid's. It would have fed them for a couple weeks.
I have always regreted letting that moment slip by. In some way I didn't want to embarass her..but it would have been such a nice thing to do.
A few times I have been behind someone in a checkout line when the bill is tallied and they come up short. Just tring to feed thier kids, milk, bread, cheap stuff. They end up putting something back. I always wanted to say "how much are you over?"
And pay the diffrence. I never had the courage to do it(Again, not wanting to embarass them, or seem like I am superior to them)
It would have to be done with just the right humility, with maybe a "Hey,I been there myself.. pass it on someday when you can.."
Someday when the opportunity comes my way again I will do it.
If you were to recieve a gift like this would you feel embarassed, gratful, offended,,,?
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Jul 12, 2007 - 11:15pm PT
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L- really great story. The truth is, we always get back tenfold what we give.
John- probably a dozen times over the years a situation like you describe has presented itself to me. If I have the money, I always offer to pay. Never was there any embarrassment or resentment. Sometimes, it was obvious that the person didn't really need the help, they just didn't have the change. Other times, it was clear that a few dollars was a big thing. In either case, I don't try to judge the situation or the people to determine their need/worthiness. I just give them the money if I have it, they thank me, I say "no problem, glad to help " and we all go on with our lives.
I do it for me, because I'm selfish. It makes me feel good.
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john hansen
climber
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Jul 12, 2007 - 11:17pm PT
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I hear what your saying Jello, It would make "Me" feel so good.
I will do it next time.
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Ed Bannister
Mountain climber
Riverside, CA
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Jul 12, 2007 - 11:19pm PT
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falling asleep while belaying,
bad Karma.
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WBraun
climber
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Jul 12, 2007 - 11:19pm PT
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John in those kind of situations you just hand the money to cashier and act like nothing is happening.
The cashiers usually know how to handle it and just go along with it silently like nothings happening. They just need the money for the purchases and don't care who gives it to them.
No one's offended.
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john hansen
climber
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Jul 12, 2007 - 11:23pm PT
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Yeah , like I said I always regreted not doing that..
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Jul 13, 2007 - 12:36am PT
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Ok here's a non-climbing related one.
Ages ago when I was going to UC Berkeley, an Indian Saint was visiting the Bay Area and giving a free talk in Marin County. I headed over there to check it out.
I had to cross the San Rafael Bridge and was waiting in traffic to pay my toll. I was totally straped for cash and started thining petty thoughts along the lines of "this Spirituality thing should be free and here I'm having to shell out cash to cross this bridge" It was stupid but that's clearly what was going through my mind.
I get to the toll booth and the fee person tells me "the car in front of you paid your toll!"
I took it as a sign!
I didn't have any hippy stickers on my car and nobody I knew was around. It was just out of the blue and long before "Random Acts of Kindness" became popular.
Since then, once in awhile, I'll pull something like that to give someone an unexpected random gift. The rewards seems to outweigh the costs for sure.
Just one of a million such stories
peace
Karl
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 13, 2007 - 02:19am PT
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I have no idea if the following events are connected, but at least I can say life is give and take.
I was riding a freight train from Salt Lake, headed to Denver, with an older black fellow who told me he was on his way to Grand Junction "to pick peaches." He had just spent the last month in a jail in California for begging and vagrancy. He and I were in a kind of open gondola car full of boards and trashy junk. For food he had a head of lettuce. For food I had a loaf of French bread. He would toss me the head of lettuce, and I would toss him the bread, then back and forth that way. It got cold for a while over Soldier Summit, and I realized he didn't have a coat. I reached into my pack and pulled out the orange cagoule I had spent a long time finding, for El Cap, etc. It was the only cagoule I ever had discovered that truly kept one dry. When we finally arrived in Grand Junction, he got off. It was now about a hundred or more degrees outside, i.e. scorching hot. He walked away, on down the line to infinity, still wearing that cagoule. He was so proud of it he wasn't about to take it off.
Not too long after, I was invited to England. Upon arriving, some people greeted me with a gift from Patrick Edlinger, his newest pair of rock climbing shoes, and Dennis Gray, President of the British Mountaineering Club, took me to a climbing shop where they basically gave me a wonderful new Heley Hansen coat I have kept and worn forever (though my wife has in recent times stolen it from me and claims it as hers)...
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DixieGal
Trad climber
NC
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Jul 13, 2007 - 02:30am PT
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Here's one from the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore's book
entitled "Gitanjali" (#50 from from this collection of Song
Offerings/poems translated by the poet himself from the original
Bengali):
"I had gone a-begging from door to door in the village path, when
thy golden chariot appeared in the distance like a gorgeous dream
and I wondered who was this King of all Kings!
My hopes rose high and methought my evil days were at an end, and
I stood waiting for alms to be given unasked and for wealth
scattered on all sides in the dust.
The chariot stopped where I stood. Thy glance fell on me and
thou camest down with a smile. I felt that the luck of my life
had come at last. Then of a sudden thou didst hold out thy right
hand and say 'What hast thou to give to me?'
Ah, what a kingly jest was it to open thy palm to beggar to beg!
I was confused and stood undecided, and then from my wallet I
slowly took out the least little grain of corn and gave it to
thee.
But how great my surprise when at the day's end I emptied my
bag on the floor to find a least little gram of gold among the
poor heap. I bitterly wept and wished that I had the heart to
give thee my all."
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 13, 2007 - 04:50am PT
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Yes if only we had the heart. And the courage. And the integrity. I wonder what kind of karma happens when one of us does not forgive another. There are people who have never spoken to me again, because of some stupid little thing I said 40 years ago when my thoughts were little more than so many birds flying in the trees...
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L
climber
Atlantis...before the flood
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Jul 13, 2007 - 03:12pm PT
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Thank you, Jan. You've made it obvious on several occasions that you don't think much of my intelligence (as I'm a woman :-)), but I do know the difference between a live echinoderm and a dead one. The two I threw back into the ocean were complete with moveable spines covering their bodies and podia on their food grooves.
And although I know you're unaware of this small point, it is important: The story wasn't about the two I threw back.
Pat--Another story from my instant karma archives:
My sister had a baby 8 months ago, and of course I sent the appropriate baby gifts. Then one day months later I was in the Gap, and somehow found myself in the kids department. Those miniture pieces of apparel were just too much to resist--so out of the blue, my sister and her baby daughter found themselves in possession of a Tommy Bahama outfit that would've made Jimmy Buffet green with envy.
Two days after I mailed that gift, I came home to find a 100 lb. box leaning against my front door. My sister, who hadn't sent me a gift in 15 years, had--outta the blue--purchased a Pilates exercise machine ($500) for me, and it had crossed paths with the baby clothing ($57) to land on my doorstep. Neither of us knew the other had any gift-giving plans...and it was over a year ago when I made the off-hand remark that I was thinking of getting one of those Pilate things.
If you knew the lack of sentimentality inherent in my sister, you would realize what a complete miracle this was.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Jul 13, 2007 - 03:34pm PT
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John Hansen, I know exactly what you were talking about...about trying to be nice but feeling weird about it. I say weird because I'm not sure if 'embarassment' and 'superiority' are the right words to describe the situation when I encounter it. I don't really know what word I'm looking for but I guess fear of embarassing someone is the closest.
Next time, I too will just suck it up and do the right thing. Maybe feeling a little embarassed by someone's kindness and generosity is a small price for feeding your hungry kids for two weeks. That's the way I'll look at it from now on. And, yes, it's a tad selfish because it makes us feel good too, but it also creates alot of good karma in a world of materialism and greed.
Thanks John!
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Frog Man Junior
Social climber
CA
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Jul 13, 2007 - 03:59pm PT
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Years ago I stopped to help a guy on the freeway with a flat tire (My jeep is equipped with air and I always carry a puncture kit). I fixed his tire and he offered me money, I said no thanks just help someone the next time you can.
A few months later I had a radiator hose blow on the freeway. I just happened to have an old one in my tool box, I was laying under the truck finishing the replacement and realizing that I had no water to fill up the radiator when I here this vehicle stop behind me and then see these feet walking up to my truck, I poked my head out from under the truck only to see a Alhambra water delivery guy standing there with a 5 gallon jug of water on his shoulder and a big smile on his face.
He said: "I saw the water puddle and figured you needed some".
Talk about putting a smile on yer face.
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John Moosie
climber
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Jul 13, 2007 - 05:59pm PT
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great stories !!! Thank you for sharing them.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Jul 13, 2007 - 06:06pm PT
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Frog, now that is karma, baby!
I know what you mean about people offering money too. I have a truck so I always get the 'moving-people' hitting me up for help. I almost always agree and then they wanna pay me. I usually just explain that I'm doing them a favor, not being hired to do a job. I usually settle for a beer afterwards with the parties involved.
"Will work for beer, just keep your money."
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onyourleft
Social climber
SmogAngeles
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Jul 14, 2007 - 02:08am PT
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Oli:
Thank you for this thread. And thank you for being a member of this forum "the virtual campfire." Here's my contribution:
On a road trip across Northern Arizona a few years back, I stopped in Page and paid my off-road vehicle access fee to the Navajo Nation tribal office. I intended to go up Antelope Wash and shoot some photos of the orange-hued slot canyons. The lady operating the tribal office warned me that the wash was very sandy and that people get stuck easily. The Navajos charge a hefty fee to go in there and tow the unfortunate ones back out. I turned off the pavement, locked the hubs on my 4Runner, and started up the sandy wash, being sure to stay on the most packed-down part of the track. About two miles in and completely off the beaten track on the opposite side of the wide sandy floor of the wash, I spotted a bogged-down rental car. The four elderly occupants were out in the soft sand trying to push the car back to the track, a hopeless endeavor. I turned and traversed the sand over to the group and offered my assistance. They were similarly attempting to get up to the head of the wash to do some canyon photography but, because of their blunder, had decided to abandon their plans and just get back to the pavement. Surprisingly, two of the foursome, a husband and wife couple, were completely deaf, although the woman could read lips and speak in a rather halting way. The other couple explained that they were all retired professors from Gallaudet University, the Washington D.C. institution that is considered the world's most prestigious college for the deaf. I carry a towing strap and suggested that, instead of them giving up on their photography excursion, everyone should pile into my vehicle, we'd go up and shoot our photos, then on the return, I would hook up their car to my towing hook and tow them back to pavement. The speaking couple signed the info to the deaf couple and the plan was approved. While we were transferring photo gear and passengers into my car, on the far side of the wash we could see a large 4wd van full of tourists chugging upcanyon. We loaded my vehicle and headed up the sand. Upon arrival at the entrance to the slot canyon, the tourists from the large van were all milling about. My passengers got out and while I was in the back of my truck organizing my camera and tripod, I was unaware of a bizarre occurrence that was taking place. I looked up to see the deaf couple signing wildly with some folks from the other group. The woman ran over to me and in her halting speaking tone, she said: "You don't know what you've done for us. They are all deaf! They are a group of deaf visitors on a southwest tour. Many of them were our students! And also, many of their children were our students! We have not seen these folks for many, many years! We never would have met up with them if not for your kindness! You have made our trip!" I stood back and watched an incredible reunion in the beautiful Arizona desert complete with excited deaf-signing, emotional hugging, tears of joy, the sharing of family pictures, the exchange of addresses, all done in utter and total silence. We all traipsed into the slot together and shot our fill of photographs. We said our goodbyes to the other group and I took my new-found friends back to their car. I towed them successfully back to pavement and they turned west towards Page, while I, smiling, headed the opposite direction, having enjoyed one of my most special days.
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L
climber
Atlantis...before the flood
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Jul 14, 2007 - 10:04pm PT
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Onyourleft--What a great story!
I think you should relate your Whitney-In-A-Sudden-Snowstorm story, too. Lots of good karma there, also.
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wack-N-dangle
Gym climber
the ground up
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Jul 14, 2007 - 10:30pm PT
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A woman's place...
I had problems with a professor in clinic, and unfortunately, it made my experience in school much more difficult. After our first encounter, I learned that he was scheduled to be my instructor again. During the second round, I tried to be as humble as possible, and did my best to keep my head down. I just remembered that the professor once told me about the proverbial single nail sticking up. He had shared this wisdom with me once, when we met alone. It was at the time when my problems in clinic were beginning.
Anyway, in practice, there are many approaches to patient care (and one goal I believe). Also, the knowledge base is constantly evolving. Sometimes in school, the information and techniques we learned in lecture, were different than what we saw performed in clinic. At times, I found this difficult to reconcile.
Anyway, I was doing my best to get through the clinic, and my spirits weren't the highest. One day a patient walked into the exam room, and said, "I'm a mountain climber!".
I replied, with teeth half clenched, "Really?, have you ever climbed any 8000m peaks?", the tone of my voice rising slightly.
She said "Yeah!", and I replied "Really!?!".
It turns out that it was Arlene Blum. www.arleneblum.com Anyway, this above story isn't directly related to the anecdote below, but I wanted to mention her here because this thread seems to be about good works.
Later in the same session, I saw a boy and treated him in a way that I thought was appropriate. He wanted glasses. He didn't really "need" them, but still, they were covered by his insurance. Also, his father understood, and agreed that they just might help. I went to the aforementioned professor to discuss our plan. The professor disagreed, and said that the patient should return for some additional testing. I apologized to the patient and his father, and they re-scheduled since we couldn't finish the exam at that time.
When they came back, the professor worked with me directly. I did the tests he recommended and recorded the results. Afterwards, the professor and I went into the room and he did the same tests incorrectly. He called me outside of the room to discuss things in front of the other students and the second instructor.
Other classmates have said that the professor singled them out in a similar way. The professor insisted that he performed the tests correctly, but he quickly realized that he hadn't. No harm was done to the patient, and at worst, he and his father were inconvenienced. Afterwards, the professor was obviously embarrassed. He maybe only lost a little credibility. However, in clinic, the consequences as a student can be much more severe.
I had many professors that are very accomplished. They seemed to be the most gracious and humble. At times, the ones that were obviously less competent seemed defensive or difficult. It reminds me of a WWII veteran I met while on a rotation. He spent time as a prisoner of war in the Philippines. I said that they must have been tough. He said that the older ones weren't so bad, it was the younger ones who just got power that you had to watch out for.
Also, my father has a lot of issues. He chooses to cope with them by drinking. I can't change his decisions, but I will try to provide support if he wants to do better for himself. I've learned that I sometimes can't change people.
I believe its a gift when I can see goodness in other people. I believe its an intrinsic quality of being human. Its also something my uncle taught as a practice. I think my family would be happy knowing that I look for it, even when others aren't providing the examples, I assume.
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hossjulia
Trad climber
Eastside
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Jul 15, 2007 - 11:35am PT
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I deleted my post because the thread drift resulting from it was horrible. I had no intention of calling any attention to myself, just wanted to share my most recent tale of karma.
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