Ordinary People Are Extraordinary

You think you know someone and yet, in fact you probably don't know them as well as you think you do.

I was recounting a story about someone I knew, not very well but I'd been out drinking and socializing with him many times and as much as you can I knew that he was an Actor but  in between jobs, as many actors do, he was a scaffolder.  I was regaling the story about how we travelled on the train up to London and just after the train departed on its way, he pulled out a big flask of whisky which we took nips out of on the way up so that we would be warmed up when we got there.

It often happened on the way to London or back that the flask would make an appearance, so much so that a few of us also brought our Hip Flasks too.  There was lots of banter and much jolliment all in good humour and amongst ourselves none of this upsetting other passengers and so on.

He died after a short illness one of those where they operated and stopped and then explained that they could go no further.  

At his funeral we heard about his work and then we heard about his younger days when he swum the channel and that he was indeed quite the sportsman.  a 22 mile swim is extraordinary but you'd never have know as he never mentioned it in all the times that we were friends.

Then there was another funeral that I went to when it was disclosed that another friend was a 17 year old in charge of a landing craft at D-Day.  Seventeen delivering men and materials to the beaches.  There were others and once again you just don't know of the extraordinary things they did. One shot in Italy and injured in North Africa.  

But it doesn't have to be anywhere near these to be extraordinary.  Last night this gentleman gave a wonderful piece of ritual, word perfectly and it was done brilliantly.  Considering that this poor chap has a huge disability being severely dyslexic you would never have guessed but he persevered and his friends all went and supported him as he can't see what words are in front of him in the book, this was all done without and again, a huge brave commitment by him and his friends.

If you look around at every day life all of us, everyone, do extraordinary things day in day out and we just don't realise it.  Bless us all!