I Admit It!

I am a klutz!

I’d been at my desk all morning so I decided to take a walk at lunch.  It was a beautiful day and I didn’t want to miss out on all of it.  Off I went, stepping lively, enjoying the fresh air.  The plan was to go three blocks up the hill, two blocks to the right, back down the hill and to the right again, taking me past the fresh baked cookie store with enough time to spare to stop in and snag one. 

All was well until I made the corner and started downhill. There was construction on the building in the first block and scaffolding I had to walk under.  Being me, I was

curious, looking around instead of paying attention to where I was going.

I know better.  I know how bad and uneven the sidewalks in Reading are.  I really do.  But I was being nosy and the universe noticed.  I tripped over an unexpected ledge.  Down I went, flat on my face.  As soon as I felt my foot hit the ridge I knew I was falling.  Not a damn thing I could do to prevent it either.

Have you ever done that?  Time shifts and everything in the next few seconds occurs in slow motion.  Falling was not good.  It hurts, landing in a thud like that.  Bad enough doing something so klutzy on my own but today there was a woman coming toward me.  She was close enough that we’d already made eye contact and smiled the second before I went down.  You should have seen the look on her face.  Priceless.  Funny how time slowed while my mind sped up.  I cursed because I was falling, realized there was no way to prevent it and watched her watching me, attempting to catch me even though she was still too far away all in the half a second it took me to land.

The woman was very kind, picking me up off the ground, dusting me off, making sure I was okay and didn’t need an ambulance.  Other than being embarrassed and bruised I’m fine though I suspect I will be very sore tomorrow.  Honestly I think she was much more flustered by it than I was.

I did stop at the cookie store where the always extremely nice woman noticed me checking to ensure my hand wasn’t broken.  Do you know how much it hurts to land with all your weight on the side of one little hand?  I told her what had happened.  Yes, I am capable of making fun of myself when I do something dumb.  She was so sweet!  She gave me a bag of ice for my hand and a pack of Red Hots to make me feel better.

So yes, I am a klutz.  But being a klutz today showed me that there are still nice people around who are willing to go out of their way to help a stranger and that is a very good thing.

Note to self:  Watch where you’re going at all times!

Please, Please, Please

Don't wait til the last minute.  I know there's still 40 days to go but I miss Lance sharing his new tale with me as he goes.  The sooner he has a new computer, the sooner you can read it too!

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Happy weekend, all!

Kindness or a Fool?

I gave my last two dollars to a stranger Sunday.

I was out and about, doing errands, and stopped for gas.  Didn’t really need it yet but I had 60 cents off a gallon points that were about to expire and that’s too much to waste. 

On my way into the lot, the car in front of me was having trouble.  I didn’t think much of it as I made my selection until an average looking man approached the woman at the pump next to mine.  I didn’t hear what he said but her response was hateful and rude.

When the man turned to go past me his shoulders were slumped.  I saw his expression.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone looking quite so defeated.  His lip was quivering and he seemed to be fighting tears.  When he met my eyes I could see the hesitation in his.  And the embarrassment.  I didn’t think.  I just motioned him over and asked what was going on.  He was out of gas and didn’t have a cent on him.

When I was sixteen I had the coolest Mustang.  It had been my grandmother’s and I adored that car.  The only problem was the gas gauge tended to stick.  I miscalculated once and ran out of gas on my way home from work.  At night.  In the middle of nowhere.  Some very nice man in a beat up old truck gave me a ride to a pay phone which was about five miles down the road.  Yes, that was before cell phones.

I saw this as my chance to return the favor.  I asked the man to take over pumping my gas so I could have both hands to dig through my wallet.  I only had two dollars with me but he assured me that would be enough to get him home.  He wouldn’t relinquish the nozzle when I attempted to take it back.  Instead he waited and finished filling my tank for me.

Perhaps I am a gullible fool.  Maybe this is how he goes about acquiring gas money every time he needs it.  I prefer to believe he was someone having a bad moment, just like I was all those years ago. 

Sometimes...

The unexpected kindness and generosity of others astounds me. And, at that moment, all I can say, through my emotional sniffles, is thank you.

Happy weekend all.