Truly nice things

[alcina]

I just returned home from holidays and DH left for his holidays three days before I landed, so we've missed each other. He's still away. I have been swamped with catching up on work and things since returning and haven't even had time to unpack. In my office I noticed something was different, but couldn't really put a finger on it and didn't stop to think.

This morning after coming back from walking the puppies and sitting down in front of my screens again I saw it...hubby replaced my old daggy flatscreen with a spankin' new Samsung SychMaster 710V...the 17" version of the 19" I bought in January! As someone who uses two monitors all the time and who does a lot of image work, this is a wonderful treat.

What makes it even more special is that DH didn't want/need any "reward" for doing something so nice and so unexpected. He hasn't mentioned it nor dropped any hints that he did something nice. He just did it because he knew it would make me happy.

That is the spirit of gift giving.

Let's put some more positive vibes out there - let's hear your stories of spiritied gifties you've received or given and/or truly nice things you've done for someone or someone's done for you lately...who knows, maybe it will inspire others to pass it along...

 

[baltimoron]

OK, so there was one day last February when it was just over freezing outside… maybe 35 degrees F or so. Now I usually do not have a car, since the only car we have is used to get my parents to work every day down at Hopkins, so like many other city kids my age, I use the bus/metro/light rail (think almost tram). I take it to get almost everywhere: to school and back, to City Hall when there's a protest, to Fells Point to party, even LATE at night with the crack junkies coming home from a moviethon. Now this particular day was the exact definition of "oh god… PLEASE don't make me go out there!!!" It was poring rain out, and I didn't have an umbrella, my mesh backpack was uncovered and I didn't have any trashbags, and BAM! My friend calls me and tells me I just HAVE to meet him up on the other side of town for a meeting. OK, that's fine… I was lucky on the way there that I walked out the door and the bus pulled up. I went without any delays, conducted my bussiness, and wanted to get home quickly. Now I am standing inside waiting for my bus to come, when the guard points to a sign that says no loitering… ("thanks a lot, jack***…") So there I am with soggy shoes and soggy clothes, and soggy, heavy books on my back waiting out for my bus in the cold pouring rain. Every bus that seems to turn the corner just so happened to be finished service or on another route. Later I found out that they were fixing buses all on one day, and that there was a shortage of buses that day. That doesn't matter to me, sitting on the crub soppping wet and about ready to hurl myself in front of a car. I waited there for about forty five minutes, until finally, I hear, "Zack? Is that you?!" I look up, and see one of my old freshman teachers shouting out from his car. Mr. Reisen is a History teacher that I had my first year at a public school. I failed his class beacuse then I wasn't good enough in English to write a good paper, and he had no mercy. I thought he hated me. I thought he though I was a waste of his time. Well, nevertheless, there he was, him looking at me looking at him from the soggy bus stop. "Have you been waiting long?!" he shouted. I just nodded. "Here… get in. I'll give you a ride." I got in his car, and he just found out somehow that I had been out there for a while now. He turned on his heat the whole way, I told him where I lived while trying to stop shivering. Well, it turned out that he was going north out to the county, and I was going south back downtown. I said I would get out at the next bus stop, but he didn't reply. He just went on the Expessway, going south. We had a pretty short conversation about his new freshmen and how he was doing and all, I told him about how things were… and the next moment were were at my house. By then I had stopped shivering, and I got out of the car. I saw a huge wet outline of myself in his carseat, and the mess of water on his floor. I opened my mouth to apoligize, he just said, "Forget it. It's fine." I then restratigized and tried to say thank you; he said, "Yeah, OK, don't worry about it. Now get inside before you freeze again." I just closed the door, and he drove away, maybe a half an hour late for his prior engagement.

I think this is a moment I will remember for a long time yet, beacuse I really thought he hated me, when it wasn't the case at all. I am forever grateful for him for doing me such an inconvenience. It's people like Mr. Reisen that really deserve a pat on the back.

Thank you Mr. Reisen!!!