Good People Doing Good Things — Making The World A Little Bit Nicer

Posted on by under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

Okay, grab your tissues … oh, you’ve run out?  No worries … I always have a spare box … and let’s find some good people to lift our spirits …

box of tissues

Tiny Superhero

Our first good people this week is six-year-old Bridger Walker from Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Bridger and his younger sister were visiting a friend on July 9th, playing in the backyard where there were a couple of dogs.  The friend pointed to one of the dogs and told them that one, a year-old German Shepherd, was mean.  No more were the words out of his mouth than the dog headed straight for Bridger’s sister, fangs bared and ready to attack.

What happened next is what has earned Bridger top billing in this week’s good people post … he stepped in front of his sister, yelled at her to run, and shielded her while the dog attacked him.  And this was the result …bridger-190 stitches later, Bridger is back home and healing, and he has been inundated with well-wishes from celebrities such as Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner and The Hulk in the Avengers movies …

bridger-3

He has also received messages of support from such people as actress Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and others.  Anne Hathaway wrote …

“I’m not an Avenger, but I know a superhero when I see one. I can only hope I’m half as brave in my life as you are in yours, Bridger. Wishing you an easeful recovery, and many cool looking rocks.”

bridger-2

When asked by his aunt what made him step in front of his sister and risk his own life, he replied quite simply …

“If someone was going to die, I thought it should be me.”

This kid is already a ‘good people’ in my book, and a superhero to boot!

bridger-4

Thumbs Up to the Amazon Dude …

Carlos Pagan and his wife, Denise, have a sign posted on their door to let visitors know why they cannot answer the door. Pagan was diagnosed with blood cancer in March and is currently undergoing chemotherapy.

They were expecting a package from Amazon, and the driver, Antonio, brought it one day last week, but after reading the note on the door, he turned around and left.  A short time later, he returned, and left this …

antonio-1The note inside the card read …antonio-2And a week later, on a Sunday, Antonio returned again, even though he had no more packages to deliver to Carlos, but merely wanted to check on him and offer words of encouragement.  The two men chatted briefly through the window.antonio-1Antonio told Carlos …

“I want you to know you’re going to be okay and you’re going to be walking soon.”

A small thing, sure, but this is the mark of a good person … one who cares enough to go a little bit out of his way.  And it meant a heck of a lot to Carlos …

“I thanked him and told him it meant a lot to me and he just said he had to do something. For someone that doesn’t even know me, to come to my window and say, ‘In a couple months, you’re going to be okay, you’re going to be up and walking,’ it was just awesome what he did. What he did was absolutely awesome.”

Christmas in July

There is a television station in Savannah, Georgia, WTOC which stands for ‘Welcome To Our Community’, and they live by that motto.  Once a week on the nightly news, they feature a ‘good people’ helping others, helping the community.  Why doesn’t every news station do that?  Anyway, this week’s featured person was about a local farmer, Roy Thompson and his family, who is helping bring good cheer and also good food to the area.

Each year at Christmas the family decorates acres of their farm and welcome people to drive or walk through their winter wonderland, all for the price of a few canned goods for the needy.  Although this is July, it’s hot, and the sun doesn’t set until around 9:00 p.m., the family has strung up much of their annual Christmas light display for people to tour this week.tmt-farmsJust like in the winter, they’re asking visitors to bring canned goods that they’re donating to local food banks.  They know charities have been overrun with requests with many people out of work due to the pandemic.  Says Thompson …

“We actually wanted to do a combination of things. One is the shortage of food at the food banks. The other thing that we started thinking about is giving people someplace to go.”

They thought a drive through the Christmas displays would be a fun distraction for families with so many usual venues and events closed. They turn on the lights at dark – around 9 p.m. in the summer. The Thompsons encourage only one household per vehicle, to reduce any chances of virus exposure and people to stay in the cars and not get out to walk around like they would in December. They’ve collected roughly 2,000 pounds of food so far and will keep the lights burning through Sunday. Their effort to help feed and entertain the community makes them Everyday Heroes.

Thumbs up to the Thompson family, but also to WTOC for sharing good news about good people in their community!

A Hero Critter …

And last, but not least, there is Morocho, the Dogo Argentino, who saved the lives of two young girls.  The girls had climbed a fig tree to pick figs when they saw a puma nearby. They sprinted back to their farm as the puma chased close behind.  Morocho was with them and he fought off the puma as the girls screamed for help. Their father came running and found his beloved dog badly injured and a lifeless puma.morochoOver the next 10 days Morocho was nursed back to health, but he still bears the scars from that day.

Well, there you have it, folks … a lot of good people (and a critter) doing small things that make this world just a little bit nicer place to be.

57 thoughts on “Good People Doing Good Things — Making The World A Little Bit Nicer”

  5. Thanks for another crop of upliftng tales, Jill. And the discussion about Bridger anbd the potential long-term effects of his ordeal. The good ol’ Beeb in the UK takes a lot of flack for what some see as biased news coverage but one nightly magazine does regularly feature people doing good in their communities.

    Liked by 1 person

    • My pleasure, Frank! Yes, David and rawgod both raise some valid concerns that I didn’t think about as I was writing the piece about young Bridger. I’ve heard a couple of my UK readers criticizing the BBC over the past year or so, but the bias seems mild to me, as compared to our own Fox News. I’ve actually borrowed a ‘good people’ or two from the BBC stories in the past.

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  8. Jill, not to downplay the other stories, which are great and kudos to them, but Bridger is the embodiment of courage. To stand in the way of a charging German Shepard to protect his sister is well beyond the call.. I am truly in awe of his courage. Going forward, no bully, no overbearing jerk and no condescending person stands a chance against this quiet hero. Keith

    Liked by 2 people

    • I’m with you … they were all good people, but Bridger stands out because of his young age and his courage. David and rawgod have raised some valid questions, though …

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  9. It does the heart good, doesn’t it? And, as you say, why don’t the news stations feature stories about these people to lift the spirits of those of us whose spirits desperately need lifting?

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Young Bridger is indeed a star. My only problem was his response…….I thought if someone was going to die it should be him.I’d have him assessed to make sure he doesn’t have problems like depression for the future.You’ve played some aces this week, even the pooch.Nice picks.
    Cwtch

    Liked by 4 people

    • Many people feel they should die while others live, and there probably is depression there. As an abused 9th sibling, I can remember thinking if my old man ever killed anyone, I hoped it would be me. Fortunately he never did, but probably only because he died first. My mother died when I was young, and I have always felt it was to escape his clutches. What a way to go through childhood, hey?
      So, because Bridger is thinking like that, someone should be looking into him professionally. His story is great, I did it to protect my sister! But it is not the only story there. He may be a hero today, but somewhere there is a scared little boy, who doesn’t believe his life is worth living.
      Thanks for bringing this up, David. It all seems too real!

      Liked by 3 people

      • I’m sorry to have touched a nerve, I wouldn’t have minded being killed but mainly I wished my father was dead instead. It didn’t work though..I’m sorry you had such a lousy childhood, you;d think thats the one thing we could do right.
        Hugs

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        • It wasn’t a nerve, David, just a memory. But when you mentioned the lad, that brought the memory full – blown. I think what you hit on was not about me, but about Bridger. My real fear is for him.

          Sounds like we both had crappy childhoods, so I hope you had siblings to share yours with. My partner was an only child, she is still suffering for it. A fear shared is easier to carry. And now I am having even more fears, for the little sister!
          And I have even more questions. Who did the dog belong to? Why did it attack immediately upon hearing the words, he’s a scary dog, or whatever was said. What if Bridger had not been there? Would the girl have survived?
          I don’t care what anyone says, I’m seeing abuse all around. I certainly hope I am wrong, but…

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          • The dog belonged, as best I can tell, to the family of the friend the kids were visiting. The two families are close friends, and remain so even after this incident, according to the accounts I read. My question is, if they knew the dog was vicious, why was he in the yard where the kids were playing to begin with?

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        • Quite possibly it’s just not a statement I’d expect from a child, Someone could assess him just a with a chat and dismiss any worries or potential problems related to depresssion or anything.

          Cwtch

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            • Abused kids know how to feign happiness. I have a lot of experience at that. If it is there, with all the excitement of the last few days, it is going to be even harder to find. As I think David said, I would just like a professional to look. If nothing, no harm, no foul. If something, the earlier it is discovered the better.

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    • Or perhaps Bridger is just selfless and noble at heart, cares more about others than himself. This new generation of starseed souls embody this trait, they have a much greater presence of mind and spirit. Their pain-body is much less than what older generations have to deal with.

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    • I just saw his response as a kid who did what he had to do to save his little sister, but you may be right that there were underlying issues. My bigger concern at the time I wrote it was … if the family knew their dog was a danger, why did they have him unchained in the back yard where the kids were playing in the first place? Glad you liked this week’s ‘good people’.
      Cwtch

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