Help.  Everyone needs it at some time or another.  My mother-in-law used the Caneyhead community dialect for help:  she'd say "hope".  For example, if I was saying I planned to take the Baby to the doctor tomorrow, she might say, "I hope you do that."  The first few time she did that, I truly thought she was merely expressing that she "hoped" I'd take the baby on to the doctor.  I didn't understand she was saying she'd "help" me if I needed it or wanted it.  LOL

I have never had any trouble asking for help if I felt I really needed it.  Yet, if I truly feel I can accomplish a task on my own, I don't.  I've seen many people who seem unable to ask for help.  For some it seems to be a matter of pride and they don't want to admit they need it.  For others, it often times is the fact that they know their helpers won't know how to do things the way they want them done and feel it will be more hassle than help.

I also don't mind being asked to help someone.  If I feel I am capable, I will.  My one peeve where this is concerned is when the asker wants to demand a certain time for the task to be done.  Say a neighbor asks if I will mow their yard.  I say yes.  They say, do it tomorrow morning.  Well tomorrow morning may be no good for me.  I might prefer tomorrow afternoon.  I don't mind if they say please mow it sometime before the weekend.  But don't demand a certain time of me unless you are asking for help with something that cannot be changed, like a trip to an appointment.  To me, that is rude.  You're already asking for someone's time.  Let them decide when it will be best unless there is some reasonable reason it must be done a certain time. 

What about you?  Can you ask for help when you need it?  Do you mind extended help on a definite time basis when it isn't necessary?

Barbara

There is an excellent article explaining the use of hope for help at  The Word Detective.