Council gloves that proved the perfect fit

This week’s Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers’ column.

Michael Commane

I keep saying it, it’s the small things that make the difference. And so often we can be oblivious to them.

Jesuit priest Peter McVerry was interviewed on the Tommy Tiernan Show on Easter Saturday. At one stage during the interview Tommy asked Peter what advice would he give when one encounters someone begging on the street. Peter McVerry made an interesting point. He said that even if we don’t want to part with any of our money, any time we pass someone begging we should make a point of saying hello to them.

Being pleasant never goes amiss.

Some days earlier I had an eye test at 8.30am. It was one of those extremely cold days. It was a five kilometre cycle from house to destination and unwisely I had never thought of taking a pair of gloves with me.

It was freezing. In fact it was quite extraordinary. I  seldom if ever wear gloves even in deep winter and yet on this morning in early April my fingers were numb. 

Just as I parked my bicycle outside the shop I met a council worker pushing one of those electric rubbish carts. He was wearing standard safety gloves for the job. The cheeky person that I am I asked him if he might have a spare pair as my hands were freezing. He went to the trouble of looking in the different compartments of the cart, unfortunately he could find nothing. But he was so nice and friendly.

We had a chat about the cold day. And we both agreed that it was most unseasonable weather.

We had parted company and I was a few metres away when he called me back. He found a pair of disposable plastic gloves in his pocket and offered them to me. He said they would do the job as they were waxed. I was delighted with myself as I had another five kilometre cycle to work so the gloves would do the job.

Sitting in the waiting room for my eye test I could not believe how cold my fingers still were.

I appreciated my new disposable wax gloves. Okay, I can hear you say that the man should not have given me the gloves as they were the property of the council. Correct and technically speaking I should not have taken them. But really is that the world we want to live in? 

It might be the world of good practice and propriety but really is it not a tad draconian?

I still remember in philosophy class fadó fadó the lecturer introducing us to the word epikeia. It’s that principle in ethics which says that a law can be broken to achieve a greater good. My refuse cleaner knew his philosophy.

Some days later I told a council worker the story of the gloves. He smiled and told me he often gives gloves on cold mornings to homeless people when he passes them in on the street.

I was back thinking of what Peter McVerry had said on the Tommy Tiernan Show.

A kind word, a kind act never goes astray. And think also of the great marketing job those two council workers did. At least for me, their kindness far surpassed any slick marketing campaigns or expensive advertising.