The New England Patriots defeat of the Denver Broncos in the mile-high stadium for the first time in an AFC championship game was an enormously pleasurable distraction from other news that sometimes seems to grow worse by the hour.

Before, during and after the game, news outlets continued to cover the gestapo-like tactics of ICE and Border Control agents in Minneapolis and their tragic shooting of yet another American citizen, Veterans Hospital ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37. The fallout continues from Donald Trump’s insane ranting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which makes clear how he has ruptured the post-WWII world order and alliances that have largely kept the peace for seven decades. The horrific killings in Iran join the devastating news from Ukraine, with no signs of resolution. Most of this is beyond our control.

Yet small things can happen that make life feel a little better. Some experiences today, in the aggregate, gave good cheer and left my husband and me feeling both surprised and reassured that not everything is bleak. On Sunday, as we anxiously awaited the snowstorm, we got a text message that our generator wasn’t working. We immediately sought after-regular-hours guidance from the Woburn electric company that services it. Technician Mark responded within minutes to the the answering service call, provided a solution and gave us his cell phone number to call if we had any problems. Today, one of their executives phoned to make sure that everything had been resolved and to check on our well-being. Their website says “we take pride in our customer service,” but when was the last time such verbiage was anything more than advertising hype?

Also late Sunday, I sent a message to the Texas furniture company from which we had purchased an ergonomic desk chair some ten years ago. The adjustable arms were not working. I figured that my message would languish in the ether for days, if it was ever answered. But, first thing this morning, we got both an email and a phone call from the chair manufacturer with a suggested solution that actually worked, and I was back in business.

Later in the day today, my across-the-street neighbor, Alison, (about my son’s age) called to offer help with a shoveling task not included in our plowing company’s typical job performance. As it turned out, my husband, against common sense and all medical expertise, had already gone outside to do the work. When he came back inside, with an elevated heart rate, I rued that we hadn’t accepted that there are some things we simply cannot – and should not – be doing.

A few hours after that neighbor’s generous and thoughtful call, the doorbell rang. It was Hina, an even younger next-door neighbor, with her younger son in tow, just stopping by to see if we were okay. She offered her older son’s assistance if we needed it.

Several days ago, in a smaller but icier storm, yet another neighbor, Pat, a retired police officer, came over to spread ice melt on our driveway, front steps and walk. He emailed to ask, and we were relieved to be able to say oh, my, that would be wonderful.

It’s sometimes difficult to ask for – and even to accept – help from those around us. Perhaps we don’t see ourselves as ever being anything but the fully independent and self-reliant people we were for many decades. But that is not the reality in which so many of us come to find ourselves. And, while the world writ large may be spinning out of control, these gestures of caring and community mean so much to us. They are reminders that we, in our own ways, in our neighborhoods, our small businesses, and community non-profits, are woven together in a landscape of caring that speaks to our mutual needs and inter-dependence. It’s happening in Minneapolis and in Lewiston, Maine. And it’s also happening in neighborhoods around the country in ways that are linked not to malevolent government policies but to our basic vulnerabilities, and shared humanity and decency.

And so, on this dark and snowy day, I say thank you to those who, in their various ways, show genuine concern and inspire us all to pay it forward.

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