I baked and decorated Halloween cookies for Lorelei's first grade class a few weeks ago. They were cookie pops with spooky skeleton faces on them; their cute factor was pretty high. Her teacher commented on how neat they were, so I offered to make cookies for her son's birthday, whenever that was. I added to this offer the fact that I sure wish everyone would help each other out a little more, and, as a stay at home mom, I would be happy to help out a working mom any way I could.
She took me up on the offer. In addition to asking me to make cookies for her son's morning preschool class and his afternoon daycare class, she asked if I'd bake cookies for a baby shower for the first grade math teacher. Both her son's birthday and this baby shower were the same day. Hmm. Motivated by the same idea that we should all help each other out a little more, I said yes.
As I sat, late after bedtime, decorating cookies that I had baked the day before--after I had gotten her son's cookies to her--I wondered if I was being used. Had she asked too much? I was providing cookies for a baby shower for 30 people. Typical me had made more than she expected, and they were much cuter than the skeleton cookies she'd seen. Those cookies were bursting with pink sprinkles and pink icing and pink cuteness in a very fun way!
No, I assured myself. I'm showing my kids that sometimes, you do nice things without any direct benefit to you. Right, that's it. And I'm following out my idea that we should do nice things for each other, for no other reason but...it's nice. I'm putting kindness and goodness out there in this universe of ours, and having the faith that it'll come back to me, somehow and someway.
I dropped off the cookies, got lots of oohs and aahs, then set out on my way for the second part of my Friday morning: a meeting downtown in Washington, DC.
I drove to where I usually park and looked for a spot to park my ridiculously large Suburban. I finally spotted one: a parallel park job was required. I sighed, but felt up to the challenge, wondering if my tire would end up on the curb like it did last time. I lined up next to the car in front of the open spot and turned around, ready to turn the wheel to guide my beast of a car in.
Suddenly, I saw a guy jump from his construction site job and dash across the street to the car behind the open spot. He got in, and backed his truck way back. Lucky me! My parallel park job got a whole lot easier! Whew. I made a few adjustments and got into the space without any trouble. As I was putting my Suburban in park, I saw the guy guide his truck right in behind me. Hmm. I thought he was leaving. What was he doing?
We both got out of our vehicles at the same time.
I called out to him, "Did you just move your car so I could park more easily?"
Him: "Yes, ma'am."
Me, smiling, tears in my eyes, "That was so kind! Thank you. Your mama did well."
Karma. Put some good out there in the universe and somehow, someway it'll come back to you. Maybe even on the same day.
5 comments:
This is wonderful! Good things happening to good people. I love the pacing through which you unfolded your story, and I loved listening to your thinking unfold. Thanks!
I am in tears. You tell this so well, lots of thinking that let us in. You put goodness out into the world and it came back to you. I'm so glad.
Such a great piece --you had me hooked the entire way. Keep living with your beliefs --it will make for a better world.
Clare
Cookies do equal parking - what a wonderful slice!
This warrants a conversation when we see each other next. Love the kindness factor.
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