This morning I did chores at a friends house. Pulling weeds, and getting the pool ready for summer. Many people think it's hard enough to get your own chores done. Why help a friend? The long term payoff of today's work will be that I can swim there in the summer. In the short term it may have paid back in spades. Here is my account of immediate gratification as a result of doing a good turn.
The story begins upon entering the Meridian library on Cherry lane. As I entered through the automatic doors I was greeted by a member of the staff. Not uncommon in a library. I asked if electronic media was kept behind the counter. In Nampa it is kept behind the counter. I could tell from the parking lot that I was not in Nampa anymore. The young lady directed me to my media sorted by last name at an un-supervised bookshelf beyond the counter. Almost to quickly, I found my last name. Or was it? It was not what I had requested; two Beatles CD's. Next to the Beatles was Mario Galaxy; more my style. Who was this other "Grimm" at 555-1390? I'm tempted to call. I dismiss that thought because cell's are prohibited in a library. Because I strongly believe that lines are for suckers I step up to the self check-out and exit through the automatic door without delay. What comes over me next is a euphoric sensation.
Before I exit the second automatic door. The hair on my neck stands up and my senses are heightened. In that clean, well lit, fully staffed, family friendly facility was an experienced that can only be described as joy with a capital J-O-Y! My brain had not yet figured out that I was experiencing joy from my new favorite library. My mind became concerned it could be chemicals messing with my brain. My friend had installed a new water filter in their refrigerator only hours earlier. I turned to look for a fresh source of water. As if by magic a fountain was only steps away. Was I in the matrix? Had I made that fountain exist? This was too good to be true!
Refreshed, I stepped toward the exit. I was at the threshold to the outside world. Literally standing in the doorway. I stopped and turned around in my tracks. I had caught, out of the corner of my eye, a glimpse of a coat rack. On any other day this would have meant nothing. But today, only minutes earlier, I had called to check in on my jacket that I forgot at the aforementioned friends house. Now there was an empty coat rack? The similarities were un-canny. I decided to capture this moment in a photograph.
I was previously a customer of the Nampa library. I may have visited there without incident on occasion. I do not remember those visits. What I do remember are the police who visited me. The first time they visited I was traveling 32 in a 25 zone with no safety belt. The cloaking device (I can't discuss details) on my truck prevented the officer from writing a speeding ticket. I was cited for the passive restraint. I just wanted a book about alternative energy. The second visit by the police is where I draw sharp contrast to the parking lot pictured above. My horn blares. The truck in front of me drives another four feet striking my bumper. The driver claims I have a bad attitude and calls Nampa's finest. How am I supposed to react? To my recollection, I have never been hit while in my parked car. I digress. Long story short the parking lot was treacherous and bad vibes surrounded my visits to the Nampa branch. I make every effort to avoid that parking lot. I have even walked the three miles from my home just so my pick-up could stay safely parked in my driveway.
Unique and glorious about the parking lot in Meridian is the alignment of the marked spaces. There are only one set of spaces on each aisle. There is no chance of a car backing into your parked car. As you can begin to understand. There is a lot of symbolism in a simple picture. My afternoon does not end here. I continue homeward bound.
I will compound the remaining joyful events that can be summarized into the category cheap*.
- 50% off a personal flotation device(PFD) at Joe's
- 70% off a Timex watch that controls my iPod at Joe's
- A restroom at Costco, just in time.
- Discovering self check-out on it's first day at Costco
- The blender lady at Costco offering to squeeze my sweets*
- Using self-checkout(Fram's help was invaluable), with no line, on its first day.
- Buying honey** to sweeten my morning coffee.
- $10 Coscto Cash card converted into gas for my truck.
key:
* - not sure how that conversation began or what she meant, unless her tone was insinuating...
** - Product of USA & Canada, Distributed from WA. briefly rained on my parade.
