FLASHBACK 1985

 
"looking out on the road rushing under my wheels..."
we load up in the car and off we go! ft lauderdale...here we come!! there is singing. there is screaming out the windows. there is flirting with boys in other cars headed south. it's spring break 1985. then there is sputtering. then there is smoke. then there is a car, hood up, with 4 girls staring blankly at an engine. we are so far from home. what are we gonna do? and then we see him. a man running across the interstate with a wrench in one hand and a jug in the other. we are pretty sure he's gonna beat us with the wrench and syphon our blood into the jug. he doesn't. he takes a good look at the engine and puts water in the radiator. he explains to us how engines work, and tells us to be safe. turns out, he's a trucker. when we tell him we don't know how to ever thank him he explains that he has daughters. he says that he hopes someone would do this for them if they ever need it.
FLASH FORWARD november 11, 2012
i'm at work. i sell handbags. i can tell you all you need to know about the different bags, from cross body bag to satchel. from fossil  to michael kors. i have limited knowledge of clothes. i can tell you about jeans, tee shirts, leggings, and tunics. but i don't give a flip about designers or brands. and formal wear? forget it! if i can't wear my chuck taylor's, flip flops, or biker boots it just ain't happening. i see this couple looking beyond stressed. the woman looks like she wants to cry. i ask if there is anything i can do to help them. "is this ALL the formal wear you have?" yes. i think so. "it's so limited and we are pressed for time. what do you have for a 78 year old grandmother of the groom that hates to dress up?" uh oh! this is totally not my area. remember how i said i hate formal wear? and i have people lining up in handbags that are definite sales and will help me reach my goal. but i get to work. it helps that the lady hates dressing up because i can relate. the daughter~in~law has picked out a gown. "she wears a size 12" how tall is she? "about your height.." perfect! i hold the gown up. it drags the floor and she would have to wear very high heels, unless you think she could rock the biker boots i'm wearing?! "we don't have time to have it altered. we won't see her until the day of the wedding. but the boots really do set it off!" the wedding is this saturday...in chicago. ummmmm...so i find out the whole story. turns out grandma of the groom lived in a nursing home in long island. turns out she lost her original gown, along with the few other belongings she had, to hurricane sandy. now i am determined to find her the perfect gown. an hour later, and formal wear hanging everywhere but where it belongs, we find it. a long black skirt, with an elastic waist that allows her to pull it up "urkel style" if it's too long. and a black top with matching jacket, both with minimal silver sequins. "can you tell me where i can find the boots?" ha! i got them at target. before they leave with their purchase, they both thank me for my kindness and give me a hug.
today  begins world kindness week (nov 12~18). do you have a memory of something incredibly kind someone did for you? and did you pay it forward? share it...i would love to hear all about it.