I can’t be the only one feeling down. And stressed. And nervous. And angry. And confused. And just about every other negative emotion that could be listed. There is just so much ANGST in the world right now, especially with the upcoming elections in the US. And sometimes (at least for deep feelers like myself) it just feels like a little too much to bear. But then I get a reminder. A reminder that even in the midst of all of these sleepless nights and fret – there IS good in the world. I got 2 reminders recently, and I thought I should share them in case you haven’t had any. I don’t know, I guess with the hopes that the reminders I came across will help boost your spirits a bit, too. Here’s the first one. This hat. We came home the other day and this was hanging on our front doorknob. Now, we have had a LOT of things left on our porch over the years – rusty cans of soup, brand new snow boots, and everything in between – ...
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I had the sweetest thing happen to me today. It reminded me of the importance of COMMUNITY. I share it here in case you, too, need a reminder of how surrounding yourself with caring humans can make your world a better place. Someone knocked on our front door this morning. This is not unusual, our home has become a “community center” of sorts and we get a lot of doorbell rings and knocks. This time when I went to answer the door, I was greeted by a Pantry guest that I know as “Mr. Corned Beef”. I call him this (not to his face, it is my nickname for him) because his favorite thing to get at the pantry is…. You guessed it - corned beef! Now, Mr. Corned Beef doesn’t usually come to the door. He stops by the pantry periodically and gets what he needs, then moves on. If I see him out there I often pop out to say hello (and ask if he needs corned beef, which he usually does). We’ve had some nice conversations. He is a...
And then sometimes, the magical veneer gets scratched a little bit… Look, I KNOW that life isn’t supposed to happen the way it does at our house. Like, I realize it is some kind of magical fluke that the kind of thing that happened yesterday doesn’t happen all the time. The fact that our house is located on a super busy corner with tons of car and foot traffic 24 hours a day and that we can keep ANYTHING safe that is visible on our front porch is technically something that should not be possible. It should all get taken, right? Even the actual TREE – bright, lovely, lights shining 24 hours a day – how does the TREE itself not get stolen? And hey, I get it. There is also a fine line here at the Big Yellow House. So much is given away here – food, warm clothing, umbrellas in the rain, other items if come ask for something and we happen to have it. So if, hypothetically, you “take something” from our home without asking, is it...
I don’t think of myself as “old”. But what IS old? I mean, when does old start? Does it creep up slowly? Is it an overnight thing – where you go to bed one night middle aged and wake up the next morning old? I don’t believe that old is tied to a number, an age. I have known people who were in their 30s that felt “old”. I had a beautiful interaction this weekend that made me realize, in the eyes of the world around me, I am indeed “old”, no matter how I feel or look in my own eyes when I look in the mirror. And while at first that was a bit jarring to me, as I pondered it I thought back to all of the “old” women in my life, and I smiled. I have become Mrs. Binder. Mr. and Mrs. Binder were our next-door neighbors growing up in Omaha, Nebraska. I lived in the same house from the time I was born until I left for college, and Mr. and Mrs. Binder were a constant. When I look back now, I realize that we did...
It’s easy to forget that we all have a story. I got reminded of that fact today, and I am so grateful. I have been away from my beloved “Little Yellow Free Pantry” for about 2 months and I really missed it. It was in great hands, neighbors kept it stocked and well taken care of. But I missed checking it, filling it, and most importantly, interacting with people who stop to get groceries out of it. So today when I saw someone getting food from the pantry, I was super excited to go out and chat. There are some regular visitors that I know and I can grab them their groceries from the basement supply without needing to ask what they are hungry for because I can predict. But today’s visitor was someone new – I had never seen him before. Extra exciting! I went out and said hello and the visitor seemed open and kind. We began a conversation right away. He said that his buddies live nearby and they told him how “awesome our house was” or ...
Some days are better than others. I can slide along - everything ok. Smiles, laughs, walks outdoors. Then it hits. It's overwhelming. Sadness. Desperation. Confusion. The tears flow. Then I remember, the mail. The note that was delivered from a complete stranger. She didn't even know our names - she addressed it to "Arlington Career Center Neighbor" at our address. She made me smile. And take a deep breath. And remember that not all is lost in the world.