Everything is not as it seems....

Today I was at the carwash, and I was vacuuming my truck, when a lady came up right behind me. I didn't hear her because of the vacuums, and when I finally noticed her standing there, it scared the crap out of me. I said hello to her and she started into this spiel that she had forgotten her bus pass today and she was stranded and didn't have any money to be able to take the bus back home, and she needed some money. Mind you, she absolutely did not look like the "type" of person who typically panhandles. She looked amazingly normal, kind of like someones mom or grandma. I didn't have any change so I went into the lobby to get some. I came back and gave her some money to be able to take the bus and maybe get something to drink. What happened next really surprised me. She started crying. In between sobs, she thanked me profusely. I told her I was glad to be able to help her out, and she wished me a blessed day. 

It made me remember that no matter how bad off you are, things could always be worse, and that I need to remember to be thankful for what I do have, and not worry so much about what I don't have. 

When I was in second grade...

The shoes to have were called "waffle stompers". They were the coolest. Waffle Stompers were hiking boots with soles that left footprints that looked like waffles, thus the waffle stomper moniker. They were awesome, and I didn't have a pair. My mom tried to get me a pair, but they were not the right ones. They were more like biscotti stompers, but they weren't waffle stompers. I was a second class kid without them.
The pains of growing up are often all consuming. When you are young, everything is magnified because of lack of perspective. I can see now that waffle stompers were just boots, and growing up in Delano didn't require them. These were boots for some serious mountaineering type activities. And they looked so cool that I overlooked the fact that there were no mountainous areas or blizzards to contend with in Delano, where the waffle stompers would surely shine. But if there ever was a blizzard, or maybe some rugged terrain that popped out of the ground, If I had them, I'd be good to go, in a big way.
I came home from school one afternoon, and my mom told me she had a "surprise" for me. Could it be? She went into the car and came back with...... Waffle Stompers!! I could hardly believe my eyes! That night I could hardly sleep, knowing that tomorrow I was going to school wearing the coolest shoes ever cobbled. Morning came and I got ready for school. I took extra time lacing up my stompers, and I looked at them while I was walking. They were so awesome. I got to school and I fully expected a full parade review of my shoes. Of course none of that happened, but I couldn't help but be proud, wearing the shoe that represented the epitome of second grade fashion. It was a great day :o)