We’ve had a beautiful few days in Dublin; the nicest weather all year. It’s made for some amazing crowds on the street; lots of musicians and even a piano in the middle of the street!

He was good, too!

I definitely wanted to give some money away today but felt a bit apprehensive about it. People here are generally rather reserved, and I wasn’t sure I could rely on the “cues” that normally guide me to my recipients. I also wasn’t sure about the amount and eventually settled on a 50 Euro bill (about $75).

After dinner, Aaron and Louise and I went for a walk through St. Stephen’s Green. This is such a lovely park and it was such a beautiful evening! It seemed like all of Dublin was there as well. I had a brief chat with one of the security fellows walking around. He agreed that it was a nice day but said it was “unfortunate” that so many people were in the park, as some were likely to misbehave.

St. Stephen's Green

We made a few turns around the lake, then Aaron and Louise settled down on a bench. I wandered off in my search. There were lots of tourists around and I was hoping to avoid them, at least the well-heeled ones. Not far away, I saw a young guy sitting by himself on a bench. He was holding a book.

I went up to him and said hello and something about the weather. He put his book down right away and we started to chat. He told me he was on a school holiday and visiting from near Waterford down south. I asked what he was studying and he showed me the book he was reading, The Bach Flower Remedies Step by Step. “Herbal medicine,” he said (“h” as in “hobbit”). He said he’d gotten interested in alternative medicine after his mother got sick with cancer and died at age 44.

We talked a while more and I asked if he considered himself a lucky person. He said he did, and told me that he had recently won a holiday to New York or San Francisco. He was chosen to participate in a contest where a number of people were given a “pretend” €100,000 to invest. The person with the best return on their investment after a few months would win a vacation. He had a return of €30,000 but so did two others, so a name was chosen randomly between the three and it was his. He didn’t get to keep any of the money but was excited about the holiday.

I said I could tell he was lucky and that I had something to give to him. I handed him the bill and he looked at it calmly. “Well, thank you very much!” he said. He said he was going to use it to buy some fishing gear “because it’s getting to be that time of the year.”

We exchanged names and I told him about the blog. Before we said goodbye, he asked if I would like to have the book he had been reading on Bach flower remedies. Inside he wrote:

To Jill (smiley face): Lovely to meet you in the park. Have a happy and enjoyable stay in beautiful Ireland! With warmth, Simon

Simon

As I was walking away I turned to wave. He waved back and called, “Thank you! For the gift!”

You’re welcome, Simon. It was lovely to meet you, too.