Little Santas Everywhere
The other day when my 82-year old dad opened his front door, he discovered his newly subscribed New York Times sitting on his welcome mat. What a happy surprise! No need to leave the house in his PJs and slippers to walk to the curb. He continued to discover his paper on his welcome mat each morning.
My parents had recently moved to a new house in a new community so my dad wondered if newspaper delivery was different there. Maybe newspapers weren’t haphazardly thrown from the car window like it was done at his old house. But he knew this was not likely.
One morning my dad was up extra early and noticed a man about his age bringing the paper up to his doorstep. The man was walking his dog and as he walked by my dad’s house he picked up the paper from the lawn and brought it to my dad’s welcome mat. And then the man and his dog walked to the next house with a newspaper on the lawn and did the same. Over and over again as he walked his dog.
My dad felt this man’s kindness and the generosity. Giving just to give. I am sure the man would say it was nothing, but it didn’t feel like nothing to my dad.
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The other day when I was shopping at the mall, I noticed a woman in a long line (it’s the holidays…) with 1000 items in her arms (ok maybe 7). I saw her and knew immediately how she felt—I had been there. I grabbed a basket from the front of the store and brought it to her. She looked at me like I was an angel from heaven. What I did was so minor, but I met her where she was at. She could now wait in line with a little more peace during a particularly chaotic time.
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Walking the dog this morning, I ran into a lovely neighbor of mine who always makes me happy whenever I see her. She had a bag in her hand and was walking towards the train. I asked her if she was headed to the city. She replied that she was going to the city to visit her doctor whom she usually meets with over zoom. She decided to meet with her in person in the city today so she could give her a holiday gift. Schlepping to the city during the holidays to hand deliver a gift is nothing short of amazing. I knew there was a reason she always makes me feel good whenever I see her.
I hope when my newsletter lands in your inbox it feels like:
a newspaper at your welcome mat on a cold and rainy morning
an empty basket arriving when you have too much to carry
a hand delivered gift during a busy and chaotic time
I cannot thank you enough for your support and for continuing to provide me an excuse to write. Wishing you Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year!
