Trains and trams and scooters and bikes
A land famed for it tulips and dikes,
And eels, and cheese, and clogs and more,
Canals and Quirky buildings galore
As if that was not enough, cafe’s that explore
Ideas for sustainability, recycling, and more..
Today I want to mention Repair Cafes, something that’s been on my gratitude list for s couple of weeks now. What a joy to find one, and use it! I never thought there are others like me.
I mean we’ve all heard that, ‘we’re are more alike than different,’ and words to such effect. One wonders where those alike people are. One finds them in the uncanniest of ways. I’m not sure I know anyone who will use a cloth ‘thela’ (bag) instead of a large purse, just to be eco friendly and also be oneself, if you find them comfortable and so much lighter on one’s shoulders. So when I heard about the repair cafe, I was naturally intrigued.
To cut to the chase, the Repair Cafe we used is manned by volunteers who have retired from related businesses, and are now doing this to make a statement about their beliefs and for pleasure.
Yes, they really did the job. Our toaster wouldn’t keep the bread down on its own, and we had to manually hold it. Well, guess what, they fixed it! I have always believed Mechanical engineering to be far under-rated, and electronic and computer related streams tend to be overrated. So this was a breath of fresh air!
I am definitely thankful for the Repair Cafes doing their bit for the world.
More about Repair Cafes here:
2) https://www.rapidtransition.org/stories/make-do-and-mend-the-rise-of-repair-cafes/
3) https://repaircafewales.org/about-us/y
I am also grateful for FaceTime for obvious reasons, and for WhatsApp. It took me a long time to embrace WhatsApp, and it still repulses me to some extent. I just did not want one more thing to eat into my time, and certainly not a great fan of the alerts. Everything becomes an emergency, like the boy who cried wolf. Very scary to think that someone may not answer a real alert, being desensitized by the constant barrage of jingles. Fortunately, you can shut them off.
All of us with a roof over our head and food on the table have a lot to be thankful for. That’s why those of us who have, should be charitable towards those that do not. My favorite charity is Habitat for Humanity, followed by the Salvation Army, and Orlando Rescue Mission.
This season, may all have something to be thankful for!
Veenu Banga
December 5th, 2021
9:45 pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment