There ARE still nice people in the world

As summer starts to kick in, the energy here on the island can tend to get a little more… well, let’s say tense. People are impatient – on the roads, in the clubs, at the bar, in the shops – and are running on very short fuses. Snappy rude emails, abrupt text messages, a constantly phone ringing, managing unrealistic expectations are all part of my job at this time of year, and let me tell you, it takes a huge amount of patience and zen not to snap back and to just take everything in my stride, do one thing at a time and above all, not take anyone else’s stress personally. But it’s not always easy – I’m only human after all (sorry)!

So this week, I was totally thrilled and happy to experience, and hear about, some genuine acts of kindness in Ibiza. There ARE still nice people in the world! There ARE people who go above and beyond their daily duties. There ARE people who think about the consequences of their actions and how what they say and do will affect others. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE! So in the spirit of being nice, I have decided to share some of the tales, in the hope of inspiring others – and this includes myself – to do a little more good in their day every day. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Even if it’s just a smile at someone in the bank queue rather than a frown, or letting the person with one item in front of you in the supermarket queue when you have a trolley full of groceries – it makes such a difference, to you and to them. And remarkably, being nice doesn’t cost a thing!

Nice person #1. Last weekend, someone I know – let’s call him Mr D – very foolishly put a large sum of money in his swim shorts pockets at Ibiza Rocks House at Pikes Hotel. Low and behold, before he knew it, the cash was nowhere to be seen… and he thought that was the end of it. Then I started thinking. If it was me, and I found a large sum of money on the ground in a very nice boutique hotel where everyone is friends and lovely, I would hand it in, and so I suggested he tell the reception. Now at this point of the story, around half the people I have told have said they’d keep the money,  because they’d figure the receptionist would pocket it BUT NO! Not everyone is dishonest – quite the opposite. This story has a happy ending, as a hotel guest found the money, handed it in and when Mr D enquired, he was rewarded with his cash (and let me also say, he sent a bottle of wine to the guests room to say thank you – niceness rewarded with niceness).

Nice person #2. A certain record label owner – another Mr D, but let’s call him Mr S in the interest of keeping things interesting – popped into our office on a hot and steamy summer day last week, having battled the traffic doom of the Santa Eulalia to Ibiza town simply to invite us to his (rather large) party in person, and bearing gifts for everyone in our office and also spending quite a bit of time catching up and finding out more about how we operate. Now, this may not be your technical ‘good deed’, but in my humble opinion, when a person gets to this stature in their industry, they could easily pass on promo duties to a minion or two. Let me also mention here (in case you didn’t realise) that White Ibiza in no way is a major music website, we have a small clubbing section but it certainly wasn’t about buttering us up, or what we could do for him. It was a genuine, lovely action – thank you Mr S, see you on the dance floor!

Nice person #3. Sometimes it’s a bit tough being on an island, when you need something obscure, or something in a hurry. A couple of weeks ago, White Ibiza’s lovely photographer, Miss P, needed a flash cable for our studio work quite urgently, And wouldn’t you know it, the photography stores in Ibiza don’t stock the particular model she needed. But the day was saved by the lovely Mr B, who just happened to be going to Barcelona for the weekend, and offered to pick one up there for her – even though he’d never met her before – and bring it back to the island at no extra cost.

Nice person #4. One of our super nice clients – let’s call her Miss K – has a huge heart, and is always helping others in need, whether it’s via sourcing fair trade fashion and decor, encouraging underprivileged artists, volunteering her time and services to create accessibly priced, but nice, student housing and many other things. Most recently, we heard that Miss K crossed paths with a nice young woman, who had a small child, and they were being forced out of their rental apartment (remember I told you about the crisis?) for reasons beyond the mother’s control. Miss K assessed the situation, and instantly offered up her spare room in exchange for some treatments (the woman is a therapist). Problem solved.

Nice person #5. A friend of mine – let’s call her Miss G – is a bit of a computer whiz, and recently helped someone less geeky with her serious laptop issues. At the time, there were a lot of thank yous, and talk of sending Miss G flowers to say thank you – but a week later, when there was a knock at the door, rather than a florist’s delivery van, there was a mobile mechanic in the driveway – knowing Miss G had been having car troubles, her friend thought it would be a more helpful reward than the floral version. Awww… Then of course, there are the island saints of Mojis and Care 4 Cats, the volunteers who literally spend their lives, and quite possibly all their money, on helping stray cats (whether by neutering, feeding or re-homing) or giving less-then-fortunate animals a safe and loving shelter… There are the people who spend their weekends working in soup kitchens or in mobile meal trucks for Caritas, helping the homeless. There are those who walk around the island raising money for charity. Good deed do-ers on a much bigger scale. But charity deserves another blog entirely – so watch this space!