Yesterday, I ran out of gas.
I was leaving work, and was particularly distracted as traffic had picked up so heavily that I was trapped in the little corner I worked in... eventually I decided to drive the wrong way from where I was headed so that I could "leave" at all.
I kept trying to get to a gas station, but everytime I was next to one I went on autopilot and kept driving.
Then it happened. Right before I went to merge on the highway, and just in time to pull into the last available drive (of a business that was closed for the day) since there was no shoulder... I stalled out.
I'd like to say that I didn't lose my temper in my frustration, but that's not the case. But what I DID do with my TIME, was call my grandfather.
My grandparents retired to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan before I was born. They are so far to the very tip, that they are practically in Wisconsin. As kids we got a chance to go up and visit at least once a year, because my parents were adamant that we get to know my grandparents. I am grateful for these trips and the memories that I have.
Somewhat recently my grandfather was admitted to the nursing facility that my grandmother has lived in for several years. He has been open to the idea that he would be joining her eventually, but I don't think he expected it to happen this soon. I had been wanting to call him long before these events took place, but especially since... I missed calling him on his birthday, and had planned to call him on Thanksgiving but things had gotten busy.
So, shivering from the lack of heat, and settling in to wait for my rescuer, I called up north. Grandpa sounded sleepy, like I might have woken him up. But I had the good fortune of letting him know that I would be you coming up to visit in a couple of weeks, and that I would be performing for the facility as well. He sounded good and we talked about everything from the food they were serving to the weather outside.
It was a nice visit, and I was happy it was able to share my time with him.
*** *** ***
Today I had a "Clothing Swap" scheduled at our little apartment. I had invited close to 10 girlfriends, including my mom, to come over and take a look through the clothing items I was getting rid of. They were encouraged to bring any clothing that they were looking to part with themselves. It was an intimate evening of four.
I had to work in the early afternoon, so in the morning I did what I could to finish looking through my items and clean up the place. I left most of the cleaning responsibilities to my fiance (who did a fantastic job). As I had already planned to provide food and drink, I decided that would be my gift for the day.
We had a great time catching up, and everybody enjoyed looking through each other's selections. We even took some fun pictures of people dressed up & looking silly. As promised I had pizza and pop waiting, but it turns out that was not my only gift...
As the evening went on and the ladies tried on outfits, I found myself compelled to share more items. I wanted to make sure that everybody had something to take home that they would be excited about.
Out of my wardrobe, I selected a dress and then a blazer that I had not planned to part with. Showing the dress to the group, I put it in the pile of dresses I was offering. Taking the blazer out, I handed it to my girlfriend... She loved it. She was just as excited about it as I had been when I had purchased it. It felt wonderful.
At the start of the evening, I had selected a particular top for my other girlfriend. She wore it for the rest of the evening, and left with it on. (She even sent me a message to let me know her husband approved of it too!)
My mother found special items to take home. And we even found a moment for her to try on a gown that I had wanted to loan her for my wedding.
It was a wonderful evening. And gifting those extra little things, really made a huge difference.
It felt good.
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