Friday, November 23, 2007

Lost glove, found kindness



Friday afternoon, katiebird and I met for coffee. As we stood in line, a man popped into the shop, and called, "Did somebody lose this glove?" Immediately, without even looking, I knew it was me, because when it comes to lost gloves, it's always me. I turned, said, "I did!" and took it back, with thanks.

He popped back out of the shop.

In the middle of my chat with kb, I realized I was missing an earring.
Katiebird kindly went up front to ask if they'd found it.
"Here it is!" a barrista exclaimed, holding it up. "We were just talking about it."

On the way out of the store, a woman behind me called, "Did you drop this?"
I turned, saw the same glove on the ground, grabbed it and thanked her.
As I did so, the scarf around my neck slid off and fell to the pavement. . .

Kb and I promptly walked to a bead shop so I could buy those plastic thingees that keep earrings from coming out, and when I got home I sewed up the hole in my pocket.

Until just a few minutes ago, the only thing I thought about that series of events was that it was funny. But then it hit me: four examples of kindness, all within an hour's time. There was the man who picked up the glove and went to the trouble of coming back into the coffee shop. There was whoever found my earring and turned it in. There were the barristas who took care of it and turned it back to katiebird for me. And there was the woman who alerted me that I had dropped my glove. And that isn't even counting how nice katiebird was to fetch the earring, and then walk to the bead shop with me.

I love this new collection of mine. I'm glad I was such a "loser" yesterday, so that I could be the beneficiary of so much thoughtfulness.

And here's an amusing addendum to my story: when I went looking for an illustration, I typed "lost glove" into Google Images, and then I followed one of the photos to its website. It turned out to be a site where a fellow took photos of lost gloves! He took 120 pictures before he got bored. Now, apparently, he's collecting the actual gloves, lol. If you'd like to see more like the one above, here's the link.

Has anyone gone out of their way for you lately?

49 comments:

Nancy P said...

Early to bed. . .

See you on Saturday morning.

Larry Kollar said...

Well, Beth went about 600 miles out of her way for us this weekend…

Weird, though, that you were just dropping stuff like that. I guess I do that by forgetting things… I had a theme for the next+1 episode picked out, then forgot about it when I sat down to write.

At least I remembered the research-related question I wanted to ask about. Say that a lot of action takes place in a bicycle shop — do you just pop into a bike shop and ask them how a typical day goes? Or how do you find the title of a person running a local FBI office?

katiebird said...

Wow. I didn't think about the KINDNESS bit at all. But, you're right. It WAS one moment of kindness after another. The woman who found your earring and the Barrista both told me that they LOVED the earring.

And before I expose myself as a crazy babbler, I'm going to bed. Good night! And I'll see you in the morning.

Family Man said...

Hi Nancy.

The series of events was odd, but it does put your faith in people back. Just one little kindness will have you thinking all day, and you ended up with four. Woo Hoo!

Rick Bylina said...

Dog gave cat mouse. Hawk dove. Mouse taken. Cat cried, "Meow." Dog barked. Lights flickered. Alarms sounded. Cop responsed. Hawk spooked. Dropped mouse. Landed on burglar. He screamed. Arrested. Mouse ran under house. Snuggled with family. Dropped grains. Breakfast. I awoke.

Kindness is King. Glad you had a seat next to the throne.

AndiF said...

Nice coincidence because I had a twofer yesterday. Giddy is having some problems for which she already takes medication so I called the vet and they suggested upping the dosage. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough to get through the weekend and it's 35 minutes to the vets so I called my sister who lives near them and asked her if she could go get it for me. She was out the door before I can even finish the sentence. I called the vet to let them know she's coming and find out they are closing early.
"No problem," they say, "just tell her we'll put it in the mailbox for her".

And I think I'll go out my way to post a weekend picture.

GhostFolk.com said...

Gypsy Rose Nancy. Please don't go to San Francisco. Who knows what you'll los there?

GhostFolk.com said...

"Nicholas Cage? I always thought Family Man should be portrayed by a somewhat less abrasive Wilford Brimley."

Far, I was thinking WIlliam Bendix.

katiebird said...

Ghost, I imagine that ALL men I like are Cary Grant until proven otherwise. In FamilyMan's case it would be the House Boat Cary Grant.

katiebird said...

Andi! I found the photo of my show. I don't know why I couldn't find it. It was in a folder called MyPhotos/October2007/show.jpg -- it couldn't have been clearer.

GhostFolk.com said...

Katiebird, I certainly look like Cary Grant, too. Falling down in a field in NxNW. :-)

Love your photo exhibit!

Andif, px of the leaf is wonderful! It was so odd here this year. The peepers came in October and waited and waited... and finally went home... lousy leaf season. Then right in the middle of November everything got beautiful. One of the best color displays I have seen in the mtns.

The drought must have made the leaves hang on or something.

katiebird said...

Andi, THAT is a lovely leaf. I love the way it glows from the back-light. And it's shape is so nicely defined.

Oh, and for the Football fans. We've got snow for the Big Game. But don't worry. Mister tells me that the loyal fans are already having a party at the stadium parking lot. THAT's loyalty, drinking beer at a parking lot in a snow storm and the game doesn't even start until 7pm tonight.

Nancy P said...

Finally awake. Man, it's tiring to drop things. :) I think there's a short story in all that, don't you, far? And yeah, you go in the bike shop and ask them. They'll love it if they're sociable at all. The FBI title might be Field or District Supervisor, but I'm not sure. If you google Georgia FBI, and ask for a public relations contact, he/she will tell you. I had to find that out locally, too, which is not much help to you since I've forgotten already.

Nancy P said...

kb, since I made those earrings (as you know) and since they're my favs, I was tickled when you told me the girls loved it.

Fam Man,you're so right. I went to bed last night feeling all warm and lucky.

Rick, you are inventing a new form of something like Haiku, and I just love it. Ricku?

Anonymous said...

Morning, everyone! It's never out of the way to visit friends, Far.

I'm watching the pregame show, kb - and yes, the fans are out in full force in spite of the weather. Me, I'm happy here on my couch with 71 degree Florida out my window.

Nice way to view your day, Nancy - random acts of kindness.

Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend!

Family Man said...

What did I miss. Nicholas Cage, Cary Grant and William Bendix. I would probably come closer to this.

Possum Time

Nancy P said...

Andi, that's a gorgeous photo. Thanks. And please give Giddy a scratch behind the ears for me, and a wish for full recovery. Nice kindness story, too. :)

Ghost,, Gypsy Rose Nancy, lol! The only thing that stopped me was the cold.

Katiebird's show was even more handsome in person. In library?

Nancy P said...

Family Man, check out the very last two comments on the previous post. They're funny, and they explain the "casting" conversation.

Nancy P said...

Hey, Beth, are you going to watch OUR big game tonight? It's #2 Kansas vs. #3 Missouri, and LSU just lost its #1 throne, so the stakes are humongous. In that college football kind of way. :) My son and his housemates are going out to Arrowhead Stadium to tailgate with some families they know this afternoon, then return home--cause they don't have tickets--where about 30 friends will gather around three tvs and a keg. I am soooo glad he won't be driving home after the game, although the lure of a sports bar may prove overwhelming. He's good about taking taxis, though. :)

Family Man said...

Thanks Nancy. I've never seen the show, but I do wish they wouldn't use my moniker. :)

Anonymous said...

You betcha, Nancy! Kb and I had a long conversation about it last night. They're touting it as the game of the century...how could I miss it? And I will root for Kansas, just for you two.

What a day to be a true fan - I'm glad your son takes taxis. I can imagine he's going to have a great day!

I'm not moving from the couch today - college football all day, yay!! The best prescription for the common cold.

katiebird said...

Nancy, we were just watching some of the early tailgaters. And wondering what kind of shape they'll be in for the actual game. They're already drinking beer in the snow!

Nancy P said...

I just saw that over at your place. But I went to Missouri! My loyalties are flying all over the place. I want my son to be happy, though, and if Kansas wins it would truly be a dream season for them, so just as long as Missouri makes a really good showing, too, I would be happy for KU if they won.

I think.

Nancy P said...

Kb, can you imagine driving home after that game tonight? No thank you. Bunch a drunks, half of them so high they could fly with joy, the other half furious. And behind the wheel.

Anonymous said...

Like I said at my place, you win either way, Nancy! The perfect place to be.

Nancy P said...

Far, here's a link that should help.
http://www.ganet.org/gbi/gcic.html

Jen said...

Nancy, I'm really glad your losts got founds. :)

KB, what a lovely display! Wish I were able to see it up close and personal.

Nancy P said...

Hey, Jen. I've lost so many gloves in my lifetime. I put them on my lap when I drive, forget they're there, get out and. . .oops. This time, though, it truly was a hole in the pocket.

That photo of you on your site, with your car, is so cute!

AndiF said...

Hey kb, that's a nice shot but it made me want more. Do you have shots that show close-ups of the individual pictures?

Ghost, the drought made for an unusual fall here too. It was late and the colors were muted and many of the trees had lost a lot of their to the dry weather. I thought it would be a pretty boring autumn but it just turned out to be quite lovely in its own way.

Nancy, Giddy is fine. She just has chronic bladder problems -- so the worst that would have happened is that she would have spent a lot more time outside than she would like.

Hi beth, far, fm, and jen.

katiebird said...

Thank you ALL Very much for your kind word about my photo display.

Please keep it up :)

After you've visited My Exhibition up-close. I actually got something accomplished this weekend!

Conda Douglas said...

Re: acts of kindness, this article seemed very apropro:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7104916.stm

AndiF said...

Wow kb, those are great. I especially like the one of the Arch.

katiebird said...

Thanks Andi! (Whew -- I was nervous)

I'm glad you like them. I'm going to try to put more together soon.

It's funny though, Right now, I'm just glowing from getting the gallery to work.

Nancy P said...

Oh, kb, it's a really elegant site that you're erected. I'm so impressed. The photos look GORGEOUS on my monitor, and I don't even have a mon. that shows stuff very well. Later today I'll look at them on somebody else's better screen.

Nancy P said...

Conda, wow, what a story.

Family Man said...

KB I said it over at your site and I'll say it here too - Woowie Zoowie!

I agree with Andi. The arch is my favorite.

Nancy P said...

I just heard (via another friend) from the screenwriter who gave us the strike links the other day, and she and her family barely escaped the new fires in Malibu. She was getting her husband (with a broken ankle), kids, and cats out of the house as the trees in their yard were burning. Apparently it happened really fast. She's in a hotel now, not knowing if they still have a house. All this and on strike, too, jeez.

Anonymous said...

Check Knucklehead's blog for the latest on his view of the fires...

Nancy P said...

Jeez, Beth, I know we're not supposed to worry, but the fire's a mile away? And he's been told to evacuate? And he's not going to? And his old house is on fire? Okay, we won't worry. . .riiiight. We just won't tell him. :)

Anonymous said...

Exactly. I'm sending 'be safe' vibes out his way... :-(

Jen said...

The Arch is spectacular, but I like the [first] shot of the bridge best. Thanks for sharing in large, KB! :)

::also sending good vibes out to everyone at risk from the fires::

katiebird said...

Thanks Jen, I love that photo too. The fog was incredible that day.

I'm worried about knucklehead too. But, at least his electricity is still on so far. Last time it was especially scary because he was out of touch for so long.

Larry Kollar said...

Hey all!

Scarfing wifi from a Motel 8 right now. I took off for the day & did a 20-mile bicycle ride on the Silver Comet Trail, west from Smyrna (10 miles each way). If I'd known it was only two more miles to the county line, I'd have probably done it — but I'd have been suffering.

katiebird said...

Hi FAR! That Sounds like a fun time. It would have been miserable here, though. The weather is grey and chilly with some snow.

I'm sitting here stewing over the inequalities of the local coverage on THE GAME. It's almost all slanted toward MU fans.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a fun ride, Far! Burn off those calories...and enjoy the evening of quiet.

Go Kansas!

katiebird said...

I've NEVER seen Kansas win. So, I'm thinking that I shouldn't actually watch. Maybe just listen? And read Outlander? (Thanks Beth: I'm really enjoying it. Well, not the beatings. But everything else)

Anonymous said...

You're going to hate Black Jack, then. But he isn't in every book. There ARE parts that make my skin crawl - but they're far outweighed by the good stuff. :-)

Glad you're enjoying it!

katiebird said...

sniff

Larry Kollar said...

Advice: DO NOT ready Kelly's stuff while drunk. You will be laughing hysterically by chapter 16 and going "DAY-YUM Kelly! DAY-YUM Kelly!" by chapter 17.

Dang. It's really 1:10am. Eh. I gotta see how this ends. I can auto-pilot the choir stuff, even if I'm leading it as the sub.

Kelly, if I ever get back to Minnesota, I'm going to buy you a drink. Then I'm gonna smack you one. :-D