Two Thursday (Food For) Thoughts

It is Thursday...

I am happy for that, as tomorrow is Friday, and it's Pay Day. And this is public health service appreciation week or something like that. And it's "Get Moving" week. So I get an hour off this week for each.

*crickets*

So I'm leaving 2 hours early tomorrow. On Payday. GLORY!

Heck man, I might just take myself on in to work at 6 a.m. and leave at noon.

I don't know if I can do that. I have a meeting with my boss tomorrow, and I would hate for dude to want to meet with me at 3 'o clock in the afternoon. That would NOT be a good meeting.

LOL.

And there's a special birthday tomorrow. I won't talk about that today. You will see tomorrow. But I just wanted to post some food for thoughts.

1. I have been feeling under the weather for the better part of the year, but I feel a bit better now. Much of it came from working too much and fighting to balance the rest of my life, and all the anxiety that comes with that. But there is a point where I am usually feeling better, and I always look out for that point, and I make sure to write it down somewhere.

A couple of weeks ago, I needed to walk to the bank to cash some checks (escrow refund, over payment on credit cards, etc.). I have had these checks in my possession since January or so, and I didn't want them to go void on me or anything because I had waited around to cash them.

Now, the bank is a couple of short blocks walk from my job. I can stand on the loading dock and see the bank from my job. But I was so afraid, or apprehensive about walking down there. I thought I would just wear myself out. Or get confused and walk out into the street. Heck, I don't know. I just know I've felt worn out down to my bone marrow, and I didn't want to cause myself any trouble.

But I actually geared myself up to walk down to the bank last week. I didn't go to that particular one, but I have an account at the credit union a couple of blocks away, and I walked down there, and I did just fine.

It is such a little thing, but it meant much to me. I was thinking today that... gee, I didn't think to ask anyone to just walk with me. That would have been easy enough. But I guess I just wanted to feel some sense of independence or something.

I walked to the bank, cashed my checks, and went and sat down for a bite to eat nearby. I walked back to work and I felt just fine. That's how I knew I was on the upswing. And thank goodness for that.

2. Something remarkable happened to me in this time of racial tension, upheaval and unrest during this turbulent time in our country.

On Sunday, I went to the farmer's market over on the east side. This place is super crowded on the weekend, butt-to-butt and shoulder-to-shoulder like ladies night at the night club. Well, I'd dealt with the crowds and got my nice organic fruits and veggies and proceeded to the cashier.

When I finished up and left the market, it was raining cats and dogs and frogs. Just pouring down. And it was that type of rain where we ALL gonna just stand around and wait for the rain to stop, or at least calm down.

Well, the rain had calmed down some, and I decide to make a run for it. A few steps out into the light showers I heard someone say "I have you covered."

Well, I didn't too much turn around, as I knew they weren't talking to me. I was alone. But I looked over my shoulder when I heard the sound of footsteps in pace with my own, and there was this white lady trying to catch up with me, her arm stretched out, gripping the handle of her umbrella hard and trying her best to keep it over my head so I wouldn't get wet.

"Thank you," I said. "But I'm good."

"No, no," she said. "I have an umbrella, and I knew I could help someone."

She held her umbrella over my head while I put my groceries in the car. She told me to take my time, she was there to make sure I didn't get wet.

"Thank you," I said. "I will always remember this."

She made sure I got in the car and even took my cart and placed it in the cart return area.

All that without getting wet.

(I know what you're thinking: I had my purse on me at all times. And my RFID cards are protected in a bootleg foil slip. LOL).

That really meant much to me. My eyes were wet as I sat in the car getting ready to head home. Why? Because like I said, we are living in a volatile time. White folks hate black folks and vice versa. And here was someone who saw me braving the rain, and they were just doing a good deed for the day.

My pastor always says look out for little expressions of God's love and thoughts toward you. They are happening all the time. And that is one of the little expressions of God's love towards me. I always make sure to be still and ponder on it for a moment. And just earlier that moment, I groaned in sadness after watching some black/white conflict issues on the news that morning. And that which happened that afternoon was God saying There is still some good in the world.

Yes there is.

It was good that I could walk to the bank by myself. I take that type of thing for granted, but that day I didn't.

It was good that I was shielded from the rain.  I won't take that for granted either.

Those are my Two Thursday (Food For) Thoughts. I have more, but those two will do on this cold ATLien night.

They are simple thoughts, but sometimes the simple can be complex.

And sometimes such simple thoughts can afford an abundance of hope.

And these days, I need all the hope I can get.