Thursday, October 20, 2011

Writing and Getting the BIG stuff

Right now I'm in a rush situation--life is in upheaval.  One thing helping me is a book my daughter gave me years ago.  

 Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser. 

Her stories made me see that I need to write more and oftener about my current situation, even when I worry about it.  Especially when I worry about it.  I want and need some big things now.   If you do, and if you can lay hands on this book, why not give it a chance?  I wish you good writing.

I'll probably review this more extensively later. 

Thursday, October 13, 2011

WHEN WE GET WHAT WE NEED, WE MUST . . .

My little metallic blue space-age flashlight wouldn't light.  I opened it and found something I didn't recognize.  Went to the drugstore where I bought it and asked a smiling, very young cashier what people do with these gadgets. 

She opened it up, discovered that the mystery object was in fact a cartridge that holds three batteries.  I groaned that they're the only kind I didn't have.  She marched over to the battery display that had the AAAs, opened the flashlight, pried out the old batteries and snapped in the new.  Since I tend to put batteries in upside down, I was impressed with her savvy--right side up first time!
I thanked, her.   I paid.

Then I did the next very important thing.  I marched over to the person with the necktie. 

Are you the manager?
"Supervisor."
I told him I absolutely had to have praise for the young cashier put in her file.
He assured me that he always does that, since I'm not the first to see how great she is with customers and with problems.

Moral:  In troubled moments, I should look for somebody who smiles.  THEN look for somebody who can reward the helpful, smiling one.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Just Plain Asking to Get What We Need

The city is doing something to the sewers that involves many holes in the street, many giant yellow machines, and many no-parking signs. Parking was a little tricky before this all started.

I went out one morning and looked around and just grabbed a handful of my hair. The project was underway, vehicles everywhere. I was sure that when I got home from work, there would be no place left to park. The foreman came over and talked with me. He reminded me that I was stressing myself, and also stressing him. I told him about my spine injury and what an adventure it can be to find a parking place or walk home from one on these root-swelled sidewalks. And someone in the crew had gone off with my red cones that keep my sidewalk clear. He sent a man to bring them back.

I finally gave up and went inside.

When I came home from work,amazingly: the yellow machines were parked somewhere out of sight. The place I usually park was not only empty, but the foreman or some dear person had put one of my red cones smack in the middle of it to save it for me! I've never seen him again, and may never get to thank him. The whole thing taught me that if you find the right person (even if you don't know he's the right person)just saying what you need can be enough.