How's Your Sox Life?

Several years ago I was housesitting for a friend over the holidays. Her housemate hadn't yet moved out, however, so Sandra (who was no longer speaking to her) advised me, "Just ignore her."

To be sure, her housemate was not the most congenial person. She was needy. If I looked at her or replied to any comment or question, I'd be listening to her for the next hour. This could be rather discomfiting.

But I wanted to be kind. During this journey, I had a "clothes encounter" with my winter socks, which I'd somehow misplaced. I had eight or nine pair, in vibrant hues. Although I didn't recall packing them in one of the boxes I'd stored months earlier in Sandra's garage, I checked anyway. No socks.

That night as I allowed my mind to relax, I received the impression that my socks were in the external compartment of my green duffel bag, which had been in my car the entire time. In the morning, I looked there. Bingo.

Sandra's housemate heard about the sock caper, and had expressed her yearning for purple socks, since she'd once had a pair that had either been lost or stolen. When I found my sock cache, I walked into the house and held up two pair, one purple, one blue, and offered her whichever pair she wanted (we wore the same size).

Like a starving person being offered food, she grabbed the purple ones and thanked me profusely, saying, "It's like you gave me a house!"

I was humbled, and ashamed of my earlier thoughts. Sometimes — often — it takes so very little to uplift one of our fellow travelers. What we need to know is usually quite "clothes" to us.

So … how's your sox life? If it could use some rejuvenation, you know what to do now. Blessings!

Help! I Need Somebody …

Have we entered the "We Decade"? People are becoming more friendly and helpful than ever — and as always, what we give returns in spades (or hearts). Here's what it looks like:

A week or so ago, a shopper at Whole Foods pulled out an extra shopping cart for me as she got her own, and, delighted with the simple, unsolicited act of kindness, I declared this the year when we all receive what we need effortlessly and with grace!

A day or so later, a young mother with two small kids needed dinner plates; she couldn't leave the eating area to get them, so I went over to the hot bar for her, and she was inordinately grateful.

Yesterday, I parked my elderly car (that has a broken driver's side door handle for which I'm seeking a replacement part!), too close to a high curb, and when I went to open the passenger door to crawl through and unlatch the driver's door, as I've been doing the past few days, I couldn't open it wide enough to get in!

I stood there wondering what to do when a kind man walked by and I motioned to my plight. Without missing a beat he angled his arm in enough to roll down the back window on the passenger side, then crawled through the window to open the driver's door! I was amazed — and amazingly grateful.

These are all seemingly small acts, but aggregated times seven billion, they can add up to a far happier planet.

Let's choose to be helpful — and happy! Blessed Be.