A noisy teenager caused trouble for the school janitor and later felt guilty. He learned about the janitor’s life and decided to do something special for him. That’s when he realized something important.
“Wow!” Holden exclaimed when he saw the mess he had created on the floor. He and his friend were just trying to play a prank on another student by painting his locker. However, he accidentally dropped the paint can in the middle of the basketball court, which would definitely be noticed.
“Come on, Holden! Let’s go! Let’s go!” his friend, Andrew, shouted, and they both left everything behind and ran away.
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A noisy teenager caused trouble for the school janitor and later felt guilty. He learned about the janitor’s life and decided to do something special for him. That’s when he realized something important.
Holden and his friend were not bad kids, but they often skipped classes and liked to play pranks on others. They didn’t mean any harm; Holden just didn’t like school and wanted to have fun like many teenagers do.
“Wow. That’s terrible,” Holden said when he saw the mess he made. “Sorry. That was rude.” Luckily, no one found out about the incident, but later, he walked by the basketball court and saw the old janitor cleaning up. He also heard the principal, Mr. Figgins, yelling.
“We have the pep rally tomorrow, and scouts from all over are coming! This needs to be cleaned up right away!” the principal shouted at the poor man, who was trying to scrub the floor. The paint was oil-based, making the job hard.
Yes, Mr. Figgins. I’ll make sure it’s ready for tomorrow,” the janitor replied, still scrubbing. The principal waved his arms, yelled some more, and stormed off.
Holden felt awful watching the janitor clean the mess caused by his prank, so he did something surprising. He walked onto the court, grabbed a rag, knelt down, and started helping the janitor.
The old man looked at him and said, “I guess you did this, right?” He continued to scrub the floor.
“Sir, I’m really sorry. It was a mistake. I didn’t know you would get in trouble for it,” Holden said sincerely. “Please don’t tell the principal. My mom would be really mad.”
The janitor sighed and replied, “I won’t tell anyone, but you have to help me until this floor is clean.” Holden quickly agreed.
As they worked, they talked. The janitor’s name was Fred. At first, they chatted about basketball and football since the school had some of the best teams. But then Holden asked why Fred was still working at his age. He looked to be over 60.
“Well, I need to pay my mortgage,” Fred said with a frown. “I’m 76.”
“Wow, you still haven’t paid it off? That means I can’t even think about having my own house,” Holden said.
“Things are tough right now, kid. I never really wanted a house. I bought that house for my daughter because she needed a place to live,” Fred explained, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I helped her with the mortgage for years, but then she died in a car accident, and now it’s all my responsibility.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that,” Holden said quietly. They were silent for a moment. “Why not sell the house now?”
“Where would I go? With rent these days, I’d be homeless. I need to keep working to eat,” Fred said realistically.
“But you might never retire!” Holden added.
“That’s true. I just hope I can pay the mortgage before I die,” he continued.
“How much do you owe?” Holden asked.
“Well, it’s a little under $30,000,” Fred replied.
“Wow. That’s terrible,” Holden said, then widened his eyes. “Sorry, that was rude.”
But Fred laughed. “Let’s just keep working, kid.”
They finally cleaned up the paint, but it took a long time, and Holden went home late that night. He couldn’t sleep, thinking about how to help the old man who didn’t get him in trouble.
A few days later, he told his mother everything that happened and asked her how they could raise money for Fred. Maybe if they paid off his mortgage, he could retire.
His mother suggested that Holden mow lawns in the neighborhood. It was the right season, and many people needed help. So he got his dad’s lawnmower and started working hard.
But after a few days, he realized it was going to take a long time to earn the money. So he talked to his neighbors whose kids went to the same school. He took a picture of Fred from the school’s website and posted it online, sharing his story and creating a crowdfunding link to help the janitor.
To his surprise, the donations started coming in, and they raised $30,000 in just a week.
Then Holden and his mother spoke to the school principal about having a special ceremony to honor Fred and surprise him. Holden also had to tell the principal about the paint on the court, and Mr. Figgins agreed.
The whole school heard the story and gathered at the basketball court to cheer when Fred arrived. The old janitor had no idea what was happening since he didn’t use social media. Holden presented him with the money, and many people in the crowd cried as the two hugged. Fred officially retired that week.
Holden later learned that Fred had a granddaughter named Erin, who was only a few years younger than him. The janitor wanted to pay off the house for her to have when he was gone. Erin and Holden became good friends, and he started visiting Fred after school to help out.
He stopped hanging out with Andrew and began taking his classes more seriously. The whole experience taught him that you have to work hard for everything.
Holden changed completely and graduated at the top of his class a few years later. The school staff was shocked and happy with his turnaround, as they rarely saw such changes. And it was all because of Fred and that afternoon spent cleaning up paint.
What can we learn from this story?
You should apologize and do your best to fix your mistakes. Holden got the janitor in trouble but sincerely tried to make it right.
It only takes one experience or person to change someone’s life. After meeting Fred, Holden changed for good, learning that life is tough, and only hard work can lead to happiness.
Vet reveals the shocking reason you should never hug your dog
A vet has warned how a ‘hug’ can make a dog feel, and it’s not necessarily what you would expect
A vet has warned that it could be a bad idea to ‘hug’ your dog, as it could have the opposite effect on them to what us humans feel.
There’s nothing nicer than coming home from a long day at work to your furry friend scurrying as fast as they can to the door to greet you.
Your natural reaction is usually to bend down and give them a big cuddle, and whilst it might look like they’re loving every second – it might not be what they’re really feeling.
Dog experts are now warning owners to find different ways of showing their love.
According to a vet who spoke to Psychology Today, a hug can actually make a dog feel quite anxious and trapped – this is because a dog’s primary defence is to run away.
Psychologist Stanley Coren explained: “Yes, your dog may leap into your lap and kiss your face, cuddle against your neck, and beg you to rub her belly.
“But that’s not ‘hugging.’
“In my experience, many dogs don’t enjoy having a human move one or two arms around their shoulders and squeeze.
“That’s the hug we are talking about.”
Behaviour Vets author Lauren Novack believes dogs who do enjoy hugs are a complete ‘exception’, reports Daily Paws.
She said: “When dogs don’t like something and politely ask for space over and over again to no avail, they’re likely to escalate their communication to growling or biting.
“I don’t want dogs to be stressed, and I don’t want humans to get bitten. For most dogs, hugs are stressful.”
Stanley previously analysed 250 photos of dogs being given hugs, and he found that in 80% of the images, the dogs showed signs of looking stressed.
And he noted that this can be indicated by a dog lowers their ears, closing their eyes, or turning away from the source of anxiety.
And the psychologist has now revealed some much better alternatives.
He said: “The clear recommendation to come out of this research is to save your hugs for your two-footed family members and lovers.
“It is clearly better from the dog’s point of view if you express your fondness for your pet with a pat, a kind word, and maybe a treat.”
And the last thing we want to do is upset our furry babies, so we’re definitely going to take this advice on board!
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