If One More Person Asks for One More Thing.....

Self-Improvement.....Isn't that what most of us have as some sort of goal for a new year (yeah I know it's the last half of February...I've been trapped under blankets of snow.....and other excuses I'm too lazy to list).  Time to turn over a new leaf...blah blah blah. 

From time to time I review my list of "noble character" traits (none of which I have been able "check off" as done.....alas).  See, I never start out the day thinking:

Today I will more selfish.  

If one more person asks for one more thing, I'm running away.  

Please give me less patience.

But the end of my day looks like....well....a report card with "S-" or "U" in every subject (remember those marks from elementary school?)

So because I want S+ ..... back to the list I go (not the excuse list, the "noble character" trait list)

Today I spun the wheel of traits, watched them whirl by, boop boop boop boop boop... and the needle landed on HELPFUL.  

So I'm thinking about being more helpful (it's a start).  And it reminds me of a story in which both Cowboy and I were H.E.L.P.F.U.L.... (along with other people, too....credit where credit's due)

One afternoon last summer the phone rang.  Cowboy answered it in his usual abrupt way.  The voice on the other end was clearly an old lady who just knew she'd dialed the right number. {She even argued with Cowboy that she'd dialed the right number but it went to the wrong phone}  He said, "Nah, you got the wrong number,"  and started to hang up.  

The Little Lady said, "Wait!  Young Man!  Do you know my sister?  She lives up on 800 S."

She told him her name, the name of the little town she lives in, her sister's name and the name of the little town near where her sister's farm sits.  No, sorry, he didn't know her sister.

"Could you get a hold of her?  I've fallen and I need help."

He hung up the phone and told me the story.  He was frantic.  He is hyper-responsible anyway and to get an order like that was like an order from God himself....it became a mission!  We looked up her sister in the phone book.  Called but got no answer.  He tried to call Little Lady back (caller i.d.) but her phone was constantly busy....which made it worse....was she calling other helpers?  ...was she unconscious?  ...was she still alive?  Hot summer afternoon!!!!!

"I know where her sister lives!  It's on the way to the diner on 800 S!"  I proudly exclaimed.

{I read mailboxes and road signs and check out yard art....does that make me a freak?}

We jumped in the truck and headed to her sister's house.  After banging on the door and kind of glancing around, we determined that Sister indeed wasn't home.  Now what?

"Call the feed store!"  was my brilliant suggestion.  When I ran a feed store, it just so happened that for reasons unknown and through no effort of my own, I was made aware of all--people, places, things....I was in the hub...I became the hub, as it were.  Maybe every feed store is like that!

So we called the feed store in the little town where the Little Lady lives.

"Feed mill"  was the greeting.

"Hey, do you know a lady by the name of ....."  Cowboy went on to relate the facts of our story.

"Yeah.  I sure do!  She lives in town here. 

I'll call her son right now."

After a few minutes, Cowboy called Little Lady's phone again.  Her son answered and Cowboy explained who he was and that he was checking up on Little Lady.  Her grateful son thanked him for his help and told him that his mother is 95 years old and is a handful!

Mission accomplished!     Mental high-fives to each other!  Yeah baby!

Helpful is Good!