“Mr. Henry Fate, dealer in utensils and pots and pans, liniments and potions. A fanciful little man in a black frock coat who can help a man climbing out of a pit – or another man from falling into one. Because, you see, Fate can work that way . . . in the Twilight Zone.”
Watching: Try to watch this week’s episode by giving it your full attention. Don’t try to squeeze in the viewing while doing something else, or while feeling distracted that you should be doing something else. See if you can treat yourself to the episode, maybe even scheduling the viewing at a special time.
Kind Action: A major theme of this episode is second chances. Think about when you were given a second chance. Under what circumstances did this take place? Who provided you with the second chance? For your kind action this week, consider two things and act on at least one. First, see if you can do something kind for the person who provided you a second chance. Second, is there someone for whom you can provide a second chance? If so, provide it.
Kind Living 
Interesting that we need the concept of “fate” as the decision to participate is always ours. At any point either man could have laid down the gun. Sometimes we need someone else or something else to give us the additional support. In that way, we are all harbingers of fate. And yes, our job is to always be there for each other.
I have opened a door that I closed and I hope it does not “come back to bite me.” This week, I offered a second chance to an acquaintance of some ten years. Four years ago, he and his partner came to our winter ski destination for ten days. They took a tour for three days and the visit went quite well and was fun, even though it felt long to us. The following year we did not say NO to them for a two week stay and I began to feel that they were using us for free housing. Our friend was not terribly gracious, became an irritation to me and did not respond to some very candid remarks about his behavior – how can British “football” be so all consuming??
Anyway, for two years we have come up with excuses why we were not welcoming guests other than family and that we could no longer have anyone stay for two weeks. We basically said No each time he brought it up, but we were mostly excluding them. His partner has since been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s which explains her confusion and withdrawn behavior on the last visit. He is putting her in an assisted living faciility this week.
In our correspondences about his situation, he once again brought up skiing with us. I told him outright, I would love to see him and ski, but that he would have to stay in a hotel, because of our own aging issues, which is true! I do not know if he will be able to come, but he accepted this olive branch graciously and said he really did understand.
I felt so much better for having finally resolved something that has been hanging over my head for over two years. It is a win/win situation for me because I do enjoy his company when he is not invading my space completely. I am relieved that I do not have to be the gracious hostess, because at my age, I no longer enjoy that role.