Especially a moment when you surpassed your own expectations, maybe surprised yourself. I meant to name one in this OP, but I’m still thinking…
In this thread, you don’t have to be humble – if you did something good, talk about it!
When we fell in love with a half-dead little rescue colt, it meant my husband and I, both pretty old at that time, had to fence and cross fence our property AND build a small barn/stall. We had no money to hire help or rent expensive equipment, but we did it. We did it, and a year later, that colt was an extraordinarily handsome, spirited, athletic coal-black STEED, already halfway trained, loving and intelligent, with a delightful personality, ready to take on the equine world.
Then came the hard part, we had to let him go on to his future. We both cried, but we did it. Yeah, I’m pretty proud of that.
Most of my moments are fairly mundane. I’m sort of systematic about most of my life, but I have done some nice things. I taught some prisoners to read, I’ve given jobs to a number of people who were practically illiterate themselves, and in a few cases gotten them trained to the point of marketable skill and gainful employment. I don’t usually do many good things I should be proud of as a matter of routine, so the few instances of times where I did I can actually remember. Good stuff really. I also saved an Asian girl from a carjacking once. First year in college, she took me to a gas station to get beer, while I was inside someone tried to carjack her. We got out safe before the cops arrived. Fun times.
I wonder if the near-carjacking incident tested abilities you didn’t use much in everyday life, such as courage and selfless action in an extreme situation. When we are so tested, and especially if the test involves courage and you are a male, actions can have a profound effect on our self-image. The man comes out of it a hero or a coward, a very important distinction in our culture. Think how you’d have felt if you’d run away and left the girl to fend for herself.
I am in the midst of a series of good moments.I am determined to not to position myself as an unlikable person, and without appearing to go out of my way as a people pleaser, to try to be nice to people who seem to be putting me into a corner. It is sometimes very difficult to find comic relief in situations where previously thought solutions sufficed, and develop human relations which are marginally satisfactory, respecting appearant bounderies. To put it mildly, if the day goes relatively unscathed, I feel good about doing my part. Especially, where there are children involved.
If you can hold it together when anyone else would lose it, you are serving as a role model.
I once knew a quiet, easygoing guy whose job was with the department of sewage. He was working on a problem area in the middle of a neighborhood, and something blew, and he was standing there covered with sewage from head to toe, and little kids were pointing at him and laughing, and he calmly said to the crowd, “I have a Master’s degree.” That got them rolling on the ground, but I’ll bet some of them still remember him.
Helping my friends move house. Two close friends of mine are young parents to a gorgeous and crazy little girl who is my goddaughter (she’s four in a couple of weeks). They were living in a cramped little stone house that would have been fine for one person or even a couple but with a small child continually spreading things across any and all available space it was difficult for them. In summer last year they moved house to a new-build, extremely well insulated house with more space, a solar panel on the roof, a great improvement. However, they were both working at least one shift on the weekend they had to move, so I spent the whole weekend helping them move from A to B, knowing they’d struggle without the help.
In the end it was quite fun, particularly when I got to look after the aforementioned goddaughter in the new house as my friend and his brother made one of many trips back to the old house to pick up more stuff. Watching Abbie explore the endless fun of finding different ways to crawl through/round/over a fold-out camping chair is one of the most pleasant experiences I’ve ever had. She’s a very imaginative, playful child. Plus it was very satisfying once we’d got the stuff moved. That said, I still haven’t received the bottle of bourbon I was promised as a thank you present…
Helping someone move is the mark of a true friend. It’s exhausting, pure grunt work, not a lot of fun. When we moved two decades ago, of all the people who promised to help, ONE showed up. One. And I said to samm, “Here’s your true friend.” When everyone else scattered, he showed up. I hope your friends appreciate this. But I wouldn’t spread it around too much or you might end up on EVERYONE’S moving list!
I have saved lives, animal and human, occasionally at the risk of mine.I should not take credit for that because something just kicks in and I do what is needed.
After I feel like getting sick, not really heroic I know buut, abject fear does that to me and a whole mess of adrenaline.
How close have you come to being killed or seriously injured?
From what I am told, one time I definitely should be. All my memories are vague most is via others as witnesses. As a kid my doctors said they wanted to test me, my main doctor said no and my folks listened. Closest I ever heard from them is berserker. I learned control over emotions. I hate not remembering things. Still once in great while control is gone. The last involved a raging cow and my kid. He said I charged the cow that was charging him. I scared the crap out of the cow from what my son said. A 115lb woman attacking a very large horned pissed off maternal cow, not smart. My kid was laughing his butt off.
ROTFL – I can see it! Say, you know you might have the makings of a great large animal vet tech?
Yea, uum noooo. The 6 horses I take care of and the small herd of cattle I help with, the odd buffalo herding is quite enough for this middle aged ex-city girl. Girl I stumbled into this job. I love it but, noooooo not that, pissed off critturs I don’t know is not gunna happen. I am doing OJT as it is.LOL
SIATD, I help people move all the time. I’ve been friends with a lot of vagabond types.
Also, I’ve can get you all the bourbon you want. And I’ve got a niece, who’s 6 now. Her dad and both her granddads are dead, so I dunno if that makes me a goddad, but it makes me something for sure.
Anyway…the point of this…is that you’re just like me. You should totally let me crash on your couch.
My friends are not vagabonds.
Kids are great. When my goddaughter found that we’d constructed a brand new double bed in my friends’ new bedroom, the first thing she wanted to do was jump on it. Quite a natural reaction. So, while they were off collecting more stuff from the old house I let the young tearaway jump about on the new bed for a couple of minutes. My friends don’t know about this because I never told them.
Stop stalking me with this crashing on my couch stuff. Seriously dude, you’re getting a bit weird with it. I’m saying no. It would be the same story if you were asking me to PM you pictures of my cock - no amount of good humour, camaraderie, intelligent conversation and offers of recreational drugs is going to make me change my mind. If you absolutely insist I may concede to meeting up with you for a pint or two…
I really don’t know. I’m pretty much courageous and selfless all the time.
You forgot humble 
And generous. I like to leave room for others to compliment me too.
Saitd I insist on the pints.
I live in a house next to an 87 year old woman who lives alone. Every day, I go outside and get her newspaper from the end of her driveway and put it on her steps. She made me a cake when I moved here, so I figure I owe her for life. Besides, that’s only a few more years at best.