Wordsley, Stourbridge, England: 1 degree, bitterly cold, with foggy conditions in the morning that turned to rain for the rest of the day.
It is a shitty day, very cold, rainy and damp, and even so, I want to go out for a walk around.
I do not want to stay locked in at home. I found an excuse to do some shopping for my mother, and to also buy her a sandwich on the way back for lunch.
In the precinct in front of the green in the village, there is the café that I like to visit, with a Scottish owner who, in his discreet way, appears to be quite cultured, and the blonde waitress who, in my opinion, is extremely attractive in her middle age.
She is not the kind of stunner who would stop the traffic, and she is not voluptuous enough that a man would whistle as she passes in the street, but for me, I think she’s got a lovely, attractive face and body. She seems quite feminine in her way.
As I’m returning to Brazil, and she is going through a divorce, which I found out indirectly, I thought it would be better not to ask her out, as it could be complicated for all of us in the future and not really necessary.
However, this is not about the cafe and the people who work there, but next door is one of those shops that I love that sells everything. It is not a pet food shop exactly, as it also sells DIY items and other products. It is not just a home improvement shop, as it also sells presents and gifts, offering almost anything and everything.
Essentially, it offers a wide range of products. Since I arrived, I have been buying swan and duck food from Richard, the owner, as well. At first, I thought he was a little offish, arrogant. Now I think he’s better, but still a little abrupt or pushy at times.
I don’t know why I started buying and feeding the ducks and swans when I arrived; it is just one of those things you do without really thinking much about it. It seemed reasonable and logical at the time, and after you see how rewarding such a simple thing is.
The food is not expensive, and the act of feeding the swans and ducks is gratifying, probably more for me than them. Like the story of a person fostering a dog from a dog shelter to save it, but what really happens is that the dog saves the person more than the person saving the dog that has been fostered and taken in.
What I’m trying to say is that I would have never thought of intentionally buying duck and swan food and regularly going to the canal to feed the ducks and swans, feeling so good and gratified from doing it. These little things, these little acts, the small details in our lives make big waves in our psyche.
As the weather has been very shitty for the last week or two and I haven’t been able to go so often to the canal to feed my friends, I thought, why not buy a bird feeder for my mother’s back garden?
In Brazil, I have a pupil, Antonio, who has multiple bird feeders and drinkers on his balcony for all the birds of Flamengo, where he has lived for quite some time. He and his wife clean and fill the feeders and drinkers every day, and now consider the birds as siblings, the children they never had, in a very affectionate way. Besides all the extra work they have to do, their visitors bring them immense pleasure, and they feel deeply rewarded, which also gives them a reason to get up and do something for others every day.
Again, what I am saying is that sometimes when we forget ourselves and do things for others, especially animals, we feel a great deal better. It gives purpose to our lives, and the amount of gratification and good feelings we receive is extraordinary.
I went to the mini department store that sells everything in front of the green and bought a feeder and some food for it. Now it’s just a question of finding a good place to hang it and seeing if the birds will like it and whether they will come regularly.
If they don’t, I’m fucked!
I worked out in the cold in my mother’s back garden, which made me feel very good. I had a shower, worked, and then decided to hang the bird feeder on my mother’s clothesline, which stretches from the top of the garden to the bottom. I hung it more or less in the middle, not too near the patio doors and not too far, so that we won’t be able to see the birds if they come.
Now let’s see what happens.
I’m feeling a little down at the moment, as I am receiving a lot of bad and negative news from Brazil, which makes me sad. Brazil is slowly being torn apart; it is being discharacterised by this government, and it breaks my heart.
Dinner with my mother and in bed by 11:00 p.m.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
