Last week, I made my very first adult purchase: I bought Tupperware. I had a gift certificate to Target that was probably a year old, and I finally had a good excuse to use it. I’ve actually been using the Tupperware bowls for dishes, as well as for storage, so I guess I’m not quite a grown up yet.
Today, I came home to a delightful surprise. A while ago, my best friend from high school and I got reacquainted on Facebook. Eventually we started e-mailing, these long-winded things where we talked about everything under the sun (mostly getting caught up on the last few years). These e-mails were reminiscent of the notes we used to pass in high school. I think we went through a few notebooks just with those. 🙂
Anyway, when I got home there was a package for me. She’d asked for my address but I figured it was just to put in the address book (I do the same thing). The box was full of all kinds of goodies: instant oatmeal, relaxing bath salts, granola bars, little munchie foods. I was completely taken aback. I opened the note that came with it. She said it was a “housewarming/care package,” and wrote about how she’d gone through a similar experience (moving far away from home, relationship falling apart, learning to be on your own, the works) and how these were things that helped her through her own hard times. The note also elaborated on a few encouraging points that were intended to make me feel better, and stronger (and succeeded!). Then she included some old photos from high school, some pictures from our senior all-night party and senior service day, photos of me and various old friends in an assortment of happy moments. On the envelope they came in, it says, “A couple of oldies, but goodies, to remind you of home.” There’s even a rubber duckie in there, I guess to go with the bath salts.
It’s funny how sometimes things seem to find you at just the right moment in time. I’ve had a lot of those occasions since I moved here — probably in part because I am perpetually in need of love and reassurances, and partly because I am one of the luckiest people in the world when it comes to being blessed with people who love me. I really am.
To those of you who just keep on being so loving, caring, kind, and supportive of me (even when I continue to give you plenty of reasons to stop): you have no idea how much it means to me, how much I appreciate it. I hope I’m able to reciprocate it enough, and if I’m not, I hope someday I will have it in me to be that good.
(listening to: Jack’s Mannequin, “Spinning”)
In lieu of paying back – you can always pay it forward. Even simple kindnesses can have enormous benefit and positive consequences to and for the person who needs it.
Which brings to mind – you, being my daughter, have not escaped my rather negative attitude about this world and the people in it. Recently I came across a rather significant site (from a source I subscribe to) that has helped me a great deal in reassessing my jaded views of mankind.
I think you would probably get something useful out of it. I know you’ve heard of “Dancing Matt”, he’s all over the internet. There is a link at the site I am sending you to (see below) to a 5 minute video of his travels and the people he encounters. The music is, I think, great and captures the essence of the experience. And it alone helped to renew my belief that there IS hope for us. Even in tiny doses of connecting with humanity through the universal languange of dance. Check it out.
And go to this site for the whole picture.
http://www.wanttoknow.info/inspirational/growth_potential_unlimited
As always, I love you. Keep on keepin on as they used to say in the 60’s/70’s
First of all, thank you for the link to that site. I’m only beginning to wade through it, but I imagine it will be a very difficult (but rewarding) journey.
Second, I had never heard of Dancing Matt before, but now that I have, I am very grateful. I actually cried watching the 2008 video.