Many years ago, settlers to the land of Bermuda brought roses from their homelands to plant in the landscape.
As the story goes, the history of the roses were lost, thus becoming "mysteries".
The rose bushes are everywhere on the island - nearly every garden and park seems to display at least one vibrant rose. The Botanical Gardens are especially lovely with their sweeping gardens and green rolling lawns.
The roses start blooming in October in a wild array of colours and types - heavy headed multi-petal blooms and the delicate single circle. They climb vigorously over walls and hang from pergolas in glorious abandon.
As you walk by, the heady scent of flora catches your breath. No wonder there is a perfumery on the island.
Ah, everything coming up smelling like roses!
A recent encounter on one of my weekly bus rides to Hamilton got me thinking of how different communities and cultures can be.
The first incident involved an older couple and the female bus driver. Heavyset septuagenarian wife gingerly lumbers onto the bus, cataracts plain to see, and a white cane mapping out her forward movement. She raises her cane and hollers out to her fellow passengers: "Hello, all you church going people". Various greetings can be heard from the people around me: "Amen", "Morning", "Hello".
Husband brings up the rear holding her waist and directing her from behind. He places her carefully in a seat about 3 rows from the front. He then proceeds to the front of the bus and sits himself down right at the door. The bus driver glances over to him and waits.....nothing happens. We're all wondering about the delay. 30 seconds go by and bus driver finally remarks - "Go and sit with your wife, sir". The bus doesn't move for about another 2 minutes in an apparent standoff. He finally mutters to himself and hauls himself back to the seat next to his wife. Bus driver nods her approval and puts the bus in gear and we jerk away from the bus stop to continue our ride into town.
On the homeward journey, I notice an elderly woman heaving two shopping bags filled to the brim with groceries. They look heavy and cumbersome and she takes a seat right at the front of the bus. Thirty minutes later in the village of St. George she presses the bell to indicate she wants the next stop. Once the bus has come to a standstill she takes some time to gather her belongings and make her way off the bus. We are just about to pull off when someone from the back shouts "Wait". A man walks forward and says to the bus driver: "We can't have this, I will take her bags and walk her home and then catch the next bus again". And off he goes. No one appears surprised - his act of kindness taken as an everyday event.
It got me thinking - on one return trip I was witness to reciprocated friendliness, respect and kindness, and standing up for what is right. In this day and age it would be a very rare event for kind interactions to take place between strangers in a North American city. In fact, the person would most likely be viewed with suspicion. A general mentality that would probably question "Why are they doing that? What's in it for them?" I would place a bet that these days there is no rush of gentleman to give up their seats for pregnant women and the elderly and infirm, let alone prodding others to be kind, or giving up their time to carry heavy shopping bags home for a stranger.
We seem to have enveloped ourselves in an impenetrable glass box that screams "Keep your distance - don't talk to me, don't touch me". We have learned to close ourselves off from anyone who does not "belong to our group". Consideration of others, and overt acts of kindness aren't seen too often on our highways, or in our malls or neighbourhoods.
It seems to be a "each person for him/herself" philosophy and I am saddened by the contrast of the islander who is usually friendly and polite to anyone they encounter; and the silence and suspicion so prevalent in the anonymity and indifference in a big metropolis or urban cities on the mainland.
I think our basic humanity has been eroded in the process. A pity that as our population grows, we become more distant and cut off from each other. Kindness and respect should be a cornerstone of any society, no matter how big or diverse.
I will follow the example of my fellow islanders who continue to teach me that the little things do matter.
