Pushing on up the long and steepish hill on the bike after a long day at work, I thought I wasn’t in too bad shape, and was taking it ‘steady away’ to eat up the yardage.
Then a friendly shopkeeper, closing up for the night, put my mind into a touch of turmoil with what I’m sure were encouraging words… or were they?!
With a smile on his lips and in a jolly tone in his voice he called out: "You’re doing very well…" Which, I have to say, was a real boost.
But his sentence wasn’t entirely finished and in a breath he had added a word which set my thoughts racing.
His full cheery greeting went: "You’re doing very well… anyway"
Anyway?
For the rest of the hill I was trying to decide whether I had been looking weary and about to expire or whether it was just one of those turns of phrase, and he really was just giving me a hearty greeting in the old style.
By the time I’d got to the top, I’d decided on the latter and went the rest of the way home with a smile on my lips at the unfettered good humour that had been offered in my direction.
So, whoever you were, friend - many thanks for your kind encouragement! I’m sorry it took so long to sink in!