Today’s Column is a “Safe Space”

by Woody

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‘Safe Space’ Free of Depressing News

Today’s column is hereby declared a “Safe Space” like those designated spots on college campuses where uncomfortable and upsetting topics are banned. For the next 600 words, this zone will be a haven of positivity.

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I was catching up with a dear friend at a local coffee cafe recently when a man – probably homeless; certainly with mental challenges – approached our al fresco table asking for a handout.

Normally I am a soft touch, even though those who work in the trenches implore us not to give money handouts. Rather, they say the best way to help a homeless person is to donate to programs focused on helping. This time, I heeded those words.

My friend, a small business owner, reacted differently. She greeted the man by first name and then, realizing she had no cash, kindly told him to walk to her store where $5 would be waiting to buy lunch. As the man walked away, my friend phoned her shop assistant and instructed her as such.1smile

I smiled at my friend’s big heart even as I felt a little small. I know the $5 may not have gone towards lunch. All the same, I confess that the next time I will have a hard time doing as those in the know advise.

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My column last week about Jim Murray and mentoring brought in a flood of emails. Here is one from Glen Zeider:

“I first started reading Jim Murray when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I was one of those terrible readers that languished in the ‘D’ reading group. The one thing I loved was baseball.

“My mom would save the sports section for me after my dad left for work, and exposed me to Mr. Murray. He changed my life in many profound ways. Learning to appreciate how words can convey ideas, knowledge and emotions has been one of the great joys in my life.”

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Jim Murray, and sports, sparked Oxnard’s Bill Organ to share this memory from his childhood in Long Beach.

“The Country Club had decent tennis courts so they hired a tennis pro. My little sister, Susan, enrolled along with her school buddy, Susan Williams, and another friend.

“Susan Williams was clearly good at the game and after a few months the pro confided to my mom that he thought my sister also had great potential, but doubted their other friend would ever be any good at the game.

“Sister Susan gave up tennis soon after but we all greatly enjoyed watching what became of her other friend, Billie Jean Moffitt (King).”

For the record, King won 12 Grand Slam singles titles on her way to the Tennis Hall of Fame.

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Let me finish with an encounter shared by a friend, whose own friends in the story wish to remain anonymous.

Four sisters went with their mom to their dance recital. Their dad couldn’t attend, but was in a generous mood and gave each daughter $25 to spend at the mall afterward as a reward for all their hard work.

At lunch, on the way to shopping, their waitress noticed the dance clothes and told the girls she, too, had danced when she was younger. Conversation ensued, and the waitress revealed she was a single mom with 3-year-old twin girls and a 4-year-old son. To make ends meet she has two other part-time jobs.

While the waitress was serving another table, the daughters took a vote and it was unanimous – they pooled their spending money gave all $100 as a tip.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front PhotoCheck out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …