Happy New Year!

I made it back to the OBX safely. After a great trip to NJ, filled with friends and family visits galore, Riley and I packed up the Tahoe and headed down the East coast. I only cried for half an hour :-)

Maybe it was the holiday ending. Or the fact that my niece is as cute as a bug's ear (not exactly sure what that means but a College professor said that of me once and it's just hung in there). Or that I miss my friends.

Without notice I dropped in on Susanne and her sisters and we sat around her kitchen table, ate cookies and drank a cup of tea. It was so great to "just be." The house was in a state of disarray, after all, she does have two small children, and there were probably a million other things that we could have been doing. It was time for Sheryl and Stephanie to leave, but I hung around and then invited Carol over. And we sat and played and just shared each other's company. It was valuable - if that makes any sense.

I remember being at Chip's house, years ago, and we were expecting someone to stop by. I don't remember who it was, but it must have been someone we were close to. Chip was trying to get the house in order, and I couldn't imagine why it was so important. See, with my friends, we are real. "This is my house. It's a mess. Get past it and I'll clean it later." And everyone is OK with that. There was something about sitting on Sue's couch, toys all around, clothes left to be folded, dishes in the sink and who knows what else, that made me feel so secure. "This is real," I thought. How lucky I am to be able to just drop in and be welcomed.

I think I miss that the most. It wasn't that long ago where I had good friends nearby. I miss being able to go and hang out and do absolutely nothing. Friends that will say, "This is always a good time" even if it's not. I hope that I am that kind of friend.

So, there I was driving and counting my blessings (of which I have many) and on the side of the road I spot a homeless man. It was on Route 13, somewhere in Delaware, and it was overcast and cold out. I gave pause and kept driving until I saw that he had a dog with him. It was a BIG Husky-Shepard looking thing. So, I whip the car around to see if I can offer some help. I didn't have any people food but had leftover dog food & treats.

I approached him cautiously, feeling happy that I was about to help and offer a random act of kindness, and fearful that the man and his dog will maul me and carry my body into the woods, thinking, "Chip would not approve of this." I don't want to be one of those people who do nothing. I needed to TRY. He turned out to be a nice man with a friendly dog, who had more than he was really able to carry, and declined my offer. I wished him luck and when on my way, with homeless dog slobber on my arm, of which Riley was not thrilled. I managed to fail at helping a homeless man and his homeless dog. How can that be??

That made me cry again. Not so much for not being able to give him what he needed, but for being proud that I tried. For having the means to be able to share.

I want good things for everyone this year. Even the screw-ups. If we all try a little harder to be kind, the world will be a better place. I, for one, plan to be a part of it. Care to join me??