I had a week from hell. Monday started with the realization a computer went down. There was important information on it. I lost a day there. Two days later, my private water system stopped. I pulled out all of the stops. I called an electrician who came out within minutes to check the circuits. Our conclusion was the well pump was out. My well head was inaccessible from years of native growth and subsequent regrading, requiring a new graded ramp to access the well head.

I called my neighbor when my two chain saws weren’t doing the job. Within minutes he was over to help me take out a downed tree. A few minutes later, a friend from a gravel company personally shows up to assess the situation and ensure a load of material is delivered correctly. A few minutes later, the truck arrives and the material is placed exactly where it needs to go, missing my gate post by mere inches. A few minutes later the plumber arrives. He shows me the problem was a bad capacitor in my well motor control. When

I heard that pump starting up again, I told him I wanted to give him a hug. What I thought would be a $5,000 repair wound up costing less than $100.

I’m still working on the computer, but overheard someone at the store complaining about her blood pressure. I felt compelled to tell her what I could. I offered her my story about dropping 30 points in 30 days. I hope it helped her. She thanked me. It has nothing to do with my week from hell and I have never met her before in my life. I only hope that in some way I can pay forward the advice, generosity and support I received from so many people in the time that I needed them most. I’ll continue to do whatever I can to pay it forward.

GEOFF TAPERT

Langley