Day 255

Today’s blog is brought to you today by a lack of vitamin drops and the letter “H” – primarily for hailstones (two days in a row? Really Edinburgh?) but also for “Help”. 

I am not good at asking for help. Fact. I will ask questions and try to garner information so that I can come to my own conclusions but, unless it’s something I legitimately know that I cannot do, I’ll carry on regardless. I’ve always been quite self reliant (stubborn) and pretty independent (stubborn) and I been called obstinate before (very stubborn). I definitely know my own mind (stubborn). I just always assume that I can, and will, get the job done myself. I will accept help if offered, if I genuinely feel like I need it. 
I was thinking about this today as we waiting for our bus home from town. We met my lovely American for lunch again but ended up in a flash of hail and rain on our way to the bus. The shelter was crowded so we just stood back a bit, still getting a bit of precipitation falling on us but generally okay. This dude spotted us and stood in the rain so that Daftie and I could be sheltered. Sweet right? 

Two of my favourites. 

Now, being a young Mammy who drags her Baba around in a sling all day, I get a lot of buses and most of the time, people just ignore us or have a small conversation. I don’t regularly have people offer seats (I didn’t get much of that while pregnant either) and I generally wave people onto the bus first. I have been conducting a small anthropological study about this and, on the whole, the same three people offer help. The granny, the fellow Mammy, the workie. I kid you not. If I need to cross the road at Granton Square, where there is not a single pedestrian crossing for a good half a mile either side, I guarantee you that it’ll be the white van man who stops. 

Helping others, on the flip side, I live for! I am in a baby-led weaning group on Facebook and, as I could talk for months on the topic, I always try to offer advice or support or even just a long distance hug. My Humans and I may be nailing this family thing just now, but it’s not always easy and we do all need a hand sometimes. 

I just may not always think to ask for it. 

That’s just my face on a smaller face.

Steps crushed today thanks to morning walk to the post office, our luncheon date and the dash through the hail. Daftie was delighting the staff in the cafe with her beautiful staring and considered lack of smiles. Long may her suspicion of strangers continue.