Chilled
My hands were so cold they were turning red and I could barely bend my fingers to count the money. The wind was blowing at a moderate rate and we were standing in the shade. I was having a hard time
focusing on the purpose for being here on a Saturday morning, I could only think about how many hours we had left. I hate to whine and here I am doing it anyway.
No I wasn’t hiking up a mountain, skiing, or any of those fun things that might come to mind. Kass and I were hosting a girl scout cookie booth at 10:00 am at Kroger. The sun was shining bright deceiving me into only a light jean jacket, no gloves, and only one pair of socks. It was 42 degrees according to my vehicle, but with the sun shining I thought we wouldn’t feel so chilled at the booth. Then when we arrived I realized we were in the shade. My body began to chill down to the bone.
I don’t like cold – can you tell? I normally prepare for these outside events with many layers and a heavier coat. But this time I was becoming miserable and I had only been out there about 10 minutes. Kass and I would intermittently go and stand in the parking lot to feel the sunlight to get some warmth. But out there the wind was worse and it wasn’t helping. My face was getting numb and I had a hard time moving my lips to talk the few customers. I know you think I am making that up – but it’s true. My toes were getting numb and felt like stiff extensions that would break if I bent them in one direction too far. At this point we had been here an hour.
Warmth Ranks Higher Than Pride
Then help arrived. Two other girls from the troop along with one’s mother and the other’s father showed up to join forces. I was grateful for some relief just so I could find a spot to get warm. But I stayed at the booth. Their chatter and warm personalities were just what Kass and I needed to get our minds off being chilled. As we shared our complaint about the temps – the mom that had arrived (R) went to her car where she found coats! Enough coats for all the girls (and me) to add an extra layer – even though we looked like we were playing dress up – no one cared. The additional warmth was enough to erase any embarrassment that we may have otherwise felt. Warmth ranks higher than pride. That should be in a book somewhere.
I do not know what warmed us more, the camaraderie of friends, laughter, and conversation or the added layers (perhaps it was the combination) but friends made the difference either way. Coming to our aid we were elated. After their arrival the time seemed to fly by. The next time I looked at my watch it was almost 1:00 pm.
What a difference friends make.
Thanks R, Q, J, and A for helping out Saturday. You will never know how much your arrival meant to Kass and me. Even in this post… I cannot fully express the bond that was made.
Is this getting too sappy? Don’t worry – we are not planning to stalk you. You just became a part of a vivid memory we made on Saturday. You each had parts in our story of life and we will forever remember the warmth of friends that day.
Oh and does this count for my social spoke on the wheel of life?
Have you made a vivid memory in life’s story lately?
Find yourself… keeping it real.
