A story about helpfulness
Handy and the Day Everything Needed Doing
Handy says yes to every job and ends up sitting in the shed at nine o'clock with nothing left. A story about helping without vanishing.
3 minutes to read aloud · 🥰 Grateful
Handy spots who needs help before they have even asked.
That is a genuinely rare thing, and it is why everybody in Candyfloss Land says Handy's name in a particular warm way.
On Saturday, Handy carried Pinky's shopping. Then fixed Muddle's shelf. Then helped Tidy move a cupboard, then found Neaty's brush, then walked Lonny home, then went back for the second half of the shopping, then mended a gate that was not even broken yet but looked like it might be thinking about it.
At nine o'clock, Handy sat down in the shed in the dark and could not work out why everything felt so grey.
Nothing bad had happened. Handy had had a lovely day helping. Handy had just not eaten anything since breakfast, or sat down, or thought a single thought that was Handy's own.
Lovey found the shed light off and Handy still in it.
"How can I help?" said Handy, automatically, and then heard it.
"Handy," said Lovey. "It's nine o'clock."
"I know."
"What did you want to do today?"
Handy opened the mouth and found nothing there. Not one thing. Handy had not wanted anything all day, because wanting something takes a moment of quiet, and Handy had not had one of those in about eleven hours.
"I was going to fix my own gate," Handy said eventually, and laughed, and then unexpectedly did not laugh.
Lovey made toast.
Now Handy does the Helper Check, which takes about ten seconds and has changed everything.
Help one friend. Then check in with yourself.
How are my legs? Have I eaten? Do I want to do this next one, or am I just saying yes because saying yes is easier than saying not now?
Handy still helps more than anybody. Handy always will. But last Saturday, Handy said, "I can do it at four, not now," and the world did not end, and Muddle said "no problem" without even looking up.
And in between, Handy fixed the gate. Handy's own gate.
It took nine minutes and Handy enjoyed every one of them.
