No good deed goes unpunished
- Thread starter rims421
- Start date
- Views: 2744
Boone
Gold Member
I accidently tagged my nieghbors brand new double wide garage door with my trucks back bumper, while plowing out the last snow storm Friday. Made me feel kinda sick, told him I'd buy new stuff and went over and paid him $400 so he wouldn't think anything else would happen.
What was interesting was the thoughts that have ran through my head since this accident happened. Initially after berating myself for not being precise enough and preventing this, I thought this has to be about it for me lending a hand.
Why help, when something so wrong could happen? Then I thought, would I have made the decision to help if I was thinking the help would potentially cost more than I was planning on giving.
When I answered myself that I would have to take such chances because helping out is the right thing to do, but it is hard to think like this while paying out.
Now, I'm thinking I will not change, and probably too old to change. Don't think I would like to be that type of a person anyway.
What was interesting was the thoughts that have ran through my head since this accident happened. Initially after berating myself for not being precise enough and preventing this, I thought this has to be about it for me lending a hand.
Why help, when something so wrong could happen? Then I thought, would I have made the decision to help if I was thinking the help would potentially cost more than I was planning on giving.
When I answered myself that I would have to take such chances because helping out is the right thing to do, but it is hard to think like this while paying out.
Now, I'm thinking I will not change, and probably too old to change. Don't think I would like to be that type of a person anyway.
RobertN
Super Member
I only took money a few times when helping people. I used my Jeep to pull a few people out of bad spots. They asked what I wanted, and I said nothing, but they could make a donation(basically membership fee) to the state wide 4wd club I was in. It was an important charity to me, since they fought to keep trails open, lobbied for then new "Tread lightly" program, and did other conservation projects. The price for the membership was really low, like $10.
Some did it, some didn't. I just gave them the envelope and form, hoping they would, but never expecting they would.
It is kinda funny, 'cause I had joined the club when someone else had pulled me out. I offered them some money, but instead they asked me to send it to thier charity, which was the 4wd club.
Some did it, some didn't. I just gave them the envelope and form, hoping they would, but never expecting they would.
It is kinda funny, 'cause I had joined the club when someone else had pulled me out. I offered them some money, but instead they asked me to send it to thier charity, which was the 4wd club.
Junkman
Super Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Junkman you send me a pm if you need a hand.
You can never have to many friends. And a friend in need is a friend in deed. )</font>
Thanks for the offer, and keep that in mind that it goes both way, if you ever need a spare hand, or a tool ( I have lots of them ), don't hesitate to ask. I am only a PM away and I will give you a telephone # to call. Being retired (only temporary) has its benefits. I just got my SS benefits statements today and decided that they aren't going to pay me enough to stay home .... and this is after I have been retired for 5 year without their help!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
You can never have to many friends. And a friend in need is a friend in deed. )</font>
Thanks for the offer, and keep that in mind that it goes both way, if you ever need a spare hand, or a tool ( I have lots of them ), don't hesitate to ask. I am only a PM away and I will give you a telephone # to call. Being retired (only temporary) has its benefits. I just got my SS benefits statements today and decided that they aren't going to pay me enough to stay home .... and this is after I have been retired for 5 year without their help!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
DaveInColorado
Silver Member
I'm there with you. Don't be discouraged. I'm one who helps others all the time - started to feel like I was supporting all the widows and orphans in the county! Then - out of the blue - for no reason that I could see - people have just been very, very nice to us for a couple of years. I think it is part of being a "community" - getting to know your neighbors and all that. Lots of people just sit inside the house watching TV while we're outside playing or working in the yard. Others sit inside their cars empathetically listening to the World News and drive right past someone on the side of the road who needs help. I've pretty much dropped away from heavy involvement in my church because I was tired of talking about it. Just Do It is a better attitude.
Keep your stick on the ice!
Keep your stick on the ice!
JDgreen227
Super Member
Here's a tale of my latest good deed....I went outdoors about 1 pm today and noticed woodsmoke from my new neighbors backyard, When they cleared his lot to dig the foundation the excavator took out about a dozen pine trees, roots and all, and piled them up. The larger ones were a foot across at the base. He and a buddy were using a Sawzall to trim the limbs off to burn them. Since I have a huge brushpile at the far end of our property I offered to get my chainsaw and JD and pull the trees back and we could section them up. Needless to say, they were all for the idea.
They were amazed that I could move the trees uphill in greasy mud with no difficulty, and my neighbor had to go to work (he's a policeman) but I continued working until near dark, sectioned up the bigger trunks and branches into firewood and moved 3 bucketfulls of firewood back to his lot.
Now, my punishment....my once pristine JD is covered with clay mud, I am out half a gallon of 40/1 mix and two gallons of diesel, and I hit a nail with a brand new saw chain that I had just put on last fall. But I FINALLY got some seat time and in doing so I made a great impression on our new neighbors.
My reward might be, if he ever stops me for a traffic violation I will hopefully get off with just a warning..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
They were amazed that I could move the trees uphill in greasy mud with no difficulty, and my neighbor had to go to work (he's a policeman) but I continued working until near dark, sectioned up the bigger trunks and branches into firewood and moved 3 bucketfulls of firewood back to his lot.
Now, my punishment....my once pristine JD is covered with clay mud, I am out half a gallon of 40/1 mix and two gallons of diesel, and I hit a nail with a brand new saw chain that I had just put on last fall. But I FINALLY got some seat time and in doing so I made a great impression on our new neighbors.
My reward might be, if he ever stops me for a traffic violation I will hopefully get off with just a warning..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
PineRidge
Super Member
JDgreen227 I would say that you earned a "get out of jail free" card. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
smilingreen
Silver Member
"she has the phone surgically attached to her ear and for 45min" "find my wife standing is the garage arms crossed tapping her foot on the floor with a not very happy look on her face" /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Wow!! I think I just figured out who married my EX!!! LOL /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Wow!! I think I just figured out who married my EX!!! LOL /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Poppa
Gold Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> </font>
Some day the good deed you did for someone else will come back to you. Some times when I help someone out of a jam and they offer to conpensate me some how I tell them I just hope you never have to return the favor. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
The old adage is true "what you sow you will aslo reap" just remember you never reap in the same season in which you sow.
Randy </font> )</font>
Randy got it right. My neighbor across the street is an older woman on her own. About five years ago she calls me up real upset because someone had run over our mailboxes. They had done a real good job too crushing the boxes and breaking the post off at ground level. I replaced the pole and the boxes. She was very thankful and kept offering me money which I kept rejecting. Since then this has happened a couple more time and I just keep fixing it.
Payback came last year at this time. We had a little blizzard, 30 inches worth. I dug out the trusty shovel, in as much as I am tractorless and started working my way up the 150 feet to the top of the drive. Took me most of the day to make an 18 inch wide trail and when I get there I see it really didn't matter since even though my truck was already up there, there was still 30 inches of snow on the road. I am ready to give up and go back inside when I see another neighbor coming up the road in his crawler/loader. He's making trail through the snow, and when he gets to my house, digs out for my truck so I can get to the trail he is making. Then he offers to plow the rest of my drive. I turned him down on that though. Something about those tracks and the ten inch teeth on the front of that loader bucket didn't seem smart on my asphalt drive.
Mike
Some day the good deed you did for someone else will come back to you. Some times when I help someone out of a jam and they offer to conpensate me some how I tell them I just hope you never have to return the favor. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
The old adage is true "what you sow you will aslo reap" just remember you never reap in the same season in which you sow.
Randy </font> )</font>
Randy got it right. My neighbor across the street is an older woman on her own. About five years ago she calls me up real upset because someone had run over our mailboxes. They had done a real good job too crushing the boxes and breaking the post off at ground level. I replaced the pole and the boxes. She was very thankful and kept offering me money which I kept rejecting. Since then this has happened a couple more time and I just keep fixing it.
Payback came last year at this time. We had a little blizzard, 30 inches worth. I dug out the trusty shovel, in as much as I am tractorless and started working my way up the 150 feet to the top of the drive. Took me most of the day to make an 18 inch wide trail and when I get there I see it really didn't matter since even though my truck was already up there, there was still 30 inches of snow on the road. I am ready to give up and go back inside when I see another neighbor coming up the road in his crawler/loader. He's making trail through the snow, and when he gets to my house, digs out for my truck so I can get to the trail he is making. Then he offers to plow the rest of my drive. I turned him down on that though. Something about those tracks and the ten inch teeth on the front of that loader bucket didn't seem smart on my asphalt drive.
Mike
JDgreen227
Super Member
Poppa,
Welcome to TBN....you say you are tractorless.....well, just hint that you are looking for advice on what to buy and prepare yourself for all kinds of it. The TBN members just LOVE to help spend other folk's money.
(Kinda like the government) /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Welcome to TBN....you say you are tractorless.....well, just hint that you are looking for advice on what to buy and prepare yourself for all kinds of it. The TBN members just LOVE to help spend other folk's money.
(Kinda like the government) /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif