wishing well

There is a wishing well in front of my house. I always thought it was pretty tacky, and wanted to take it down, but it's brick and pretty sturdy so I decided to ignore it instead. Over the years it began to deteriorate. There was a hole in the roof, part of the molding had fallen off and it needed to be painted.

A neighbor was having problems with his business computer. I offered to help, but he wouldn't accept without paying me. I didn't want that, so he offered to do something for me, like repair the wishing well. He said he always admired it and was upset at its condition. He also told me that the well was a neighborhood landmark. Boy, was I embarrassed! So he fixed the hole, replaced the molding, gave it a coat of fresh paint, bought a bucket for it and filled it with flowers. At our next book club meeting another neighbor told me how happy she was to see the wishing well. She told me that she always looked for the well when she passed the house. It comforted her to see it.

The neighbor who fixed the well has become my friend. At the beginning of each season he fills the bucket with a flowering plant. How could I think the well was tacky?