MY FAITH IN HUMANITY IS RESTORED!
I am an event organiser and was visiting Ballina last week with a large group of overseas visitors from the UK. We were staying in the Diamond Coast Hotel in Enniscrone. Two of our guests were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and having received information from one of their family, we decided to mark the occasion and celebrate it with them. This required a visit to a bakers in Ballina for a specially prepared cake and a search for some suitable balloons and other decorations. I was directed to Wispys where I was told they sold everything!!
I was never in this shop before and in truth I was not overly impressed with the frontage but as the old saying goes: 'You should never judge a book by it's cover'! I ventured in and was greeted immediately by a lovely young lady with a big smile and a friendly "HOWYA!" I was directed by her to the back of the shop which was a heck of a long way from the front and if ever a front belied its interior, this did. It was like the proverbial Tardis. It went on an on and on until I just could not believe how much stock there was for sale. They had everything, literally everything. I met a young gentleman from whom I asked: "Do you sell party balloons?" "Yes!" he replied, "How many do you want?! "One" I replied. "In that case, how big do you want it?" I said it was to celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary. "We don't get asked for many of them but I'll have a look!" which he proceeded to do.
After several minutes he had to give up searching and with the sad news that they did not have a 50th wedding anniversary balloon in stock and yet, as I said at the beginning, this shop seemed to have everything!
And then it happened. With a glint in his eye he suggested, "I could sell you two 25th Anniversary baloons! Would that do?"
We both shared in the joke and after we finished laughing he said "Fifty is golden and I have a balloon with a golden heart , and I'll even blow it up for you!"
"Done deal," said I and off he went to fill the balloon with helium!
I now had visions of myself walking across town with a balloon on a string and while I was working out how could I avoid looking like an idiot, he returned with the balloon and shoved it into a black plastic bag and with a cheery "Happy Anniversary, there's no charge!" he handed me the balloon!
I was utterly gobsmacked! What an unbelievable friendly and warm gesture this person made! So much so, I didn't have the heart to tell him I was actually buying it for somebody else. I regret I did not get the young man's name but I will return again and again many times in the future and so will everyone else who reads this story I hope. This would only happen in the west of Ireland where the generosity of spirit that I grew up is still alive and kicking and long it may continue. So, next time you are in Ballina, make sure to call into Wispys. They may not have you want but I can assure you you will feel better after your visit!
Gerry Flynn read more
