Some faith in humanity restored
No news yet on the Shelby front, but I had an interesting encounter yesterday morning that I felt like sharing :p
Yesterday after work, I stopped by my local barber for a much-needed haircut. I was tired and irritable from work, depressed about my surgery the next day (about 7 hours from now), and just wanted to get in, get my haircut, and get home so I could sleep. So I get to the place about 20 minutes before they opened. No problem - I brought a book with me, so I just reclined my seat and read for a while. Five minutes before opening, a little old lady parks right next to me, and instead of waiting in her car, she goes right up to the salon door and waits in the freezing cold for the employees to open up. Thus guaranteeing she would be the first one served. I was pissed, but I buried the grumpiness and walked in after her, knowing that I'd be waiting a while.
That's when the unexpected occurred. As I walked in, the old lady walked up to me and said, "You go first, young man. I saw you waiting out there." She made sure the employees took me first, and I was honestly so stunned by her kindness that I couldn't do more than mumble an astonished "thank you". As it turns out, there were two employees in that morning, so she got served at pretty much the same time, but still, it was an incredibly sweet gesture on her part, and it made me realize just how accustomed I've become to other people just being greedy, selfish assholes with no regard for others.
As anyone who's seen me can probably guess, it doesn't take long to do my haircut - It's about as simple and boring as they come. Easiest $15 that salon could possibly make. So, I'm in and out in under five minutes. As I'm heading up to the front desk to pay, I flash a quick smile at the sweet old lady, and after paying for my cut, I put an extra $20 on the table and lean in, murmuring to the receptionist, "Put this toward whatever she's getting today." Turns out, that more than covered her, so I took my change and walked out, and once on the road again, I smiled, knowing that right about that moment, she was probably being told that her bill was already paid for.
It was just this rare, touching moment of humanity, and a much-needed pick-me-up considering the crappy year I've been having thus far. So, on the off chance that anyone reads this journal, do me a favor. Do someone else a favor. Help out a stranger, for no other reason than they happen to be there. In all likelihood, you'll make their day, and who knows? They might help you out right back, even secretly :p
In other news, I think I'm all set for my post-surgery diversions. I've set up a pyramid of games on the coffee table, comprised of Penny Arcade: The Game, Castle Panic, Dixit, Elder Sign, Tsuro, and Munchkin, with my newly-assembled Daemon Princess of Slaanesh and almost-fully-painted Greater Daemon of Nurgle standing vigil at the top of the pyramid. More than likely, I won't be coherent enough to play properly, between the lingering effects of anesthetics and whatever crazy pain medication my doctor gives me, nor will I be able to talk, but I can always just mumble loudly and throw cards or dice at people. I'll be like Gambit after a stroke. Oh yes, it'll be a fun weekend - If not for me, then certainly for the friends I've invited to partake in the games and laugh at my drug-induced stupor xD
Yesterday after work, I stopped by my local barber for a much-needed haircut. I was tired and irritable from work, depressed about my surgery the next day (about 7 hours from now), and just wanted to get in, get my haircut, and get home so I could sleep. So I get to the place about 20 minutes before they opened. No problem - I brought a book with me, so I just reclined my seat and read for a while. Five minutes before opening, a little old lady parks right next to me, and instead of waiting in her car, she goes right up to the salon door and waits in the freezing cold for the employees to open up. Thus guaranteeing she would be the first one served. I was pissed, but I buried the grumpiness and walked in after her, knowing that I'd be waiting a while.
That's when the unexpected occurred. As I walked in, the old lady walked up to me and said, "You go first, young man. I saw you waiting out there." She made sure the employees took me first, and I was honestly so stunned by her kindness that I couldn't do more than mumble an astonished "thank you". As it turns out, there were two employees in that morning, so she got served at pretty much the same time, but still, it was an incredibly sweet gesture on her part, and it made me realize just how accustomed I've become to other people just being greedy, selfish assholes with no regard for others.
As anyone who's seen me can probably guess, it doesn't take long to do my haircut - It's about as simple and boring as they come. Easiest $15 that salon could possibly make. So, I'm in and out in under five minutes. As I'm heading up to the front desk to pay, I flash a quick smile at the sweet old lady, and after paying for my cut, I put an extra $20 on the table and lean in, murmuring to the receptionist, "Put this toward whatever she's getting today." Turns out, that more than covered her, so I took my change and walked out, and once on the road again, I smiled, knowing that right about that moment, she was probably being told that her bill was already paid for.
It was just this rare, touching moment of humanity, and a much-needed pick-me-up considering the crappy year I've been having thus far. So, on the off chance that anyone reads this journal, do me a favor. Do someone else a favor. Help out a stranger, for no other reason than they happen to be there. In all likelihood, you'll make their day, and who knows? They might help you out right back, even secretly :p
In other news, I think I'm all set for my post-surgery diversions. I've set up a pyramid of games on the coffee table, comprised of Penny Arcade: The Game, Castle Panic, Dixit, Elder Sign, Tsuro, and Munchkin, with my newly-assembled Daemon Princess of Slaanesh and almost-fully-painted Greater Daemon of Nurgle standing vigil at the top of the pyramid. More than likely, I won't be coherent enough to play properly, between the lingering effects of anesthetics and whatever crazy pain medication my doctor gives me, nor will I be able to talk, but I can always just mumble loudly and throw cards or dice at people. I'll be like Gambit after a stroke. Oh yes, it'll be a fun weekend - If not for me, then certainly for the friends I've invited to partake in the games and laugh at my drug-induced stupor xD