Gotta Blog That! 3/8/08

I am tired and depressed. I'm worried about Obama. I'm pissed at my Mr. I just turned in the final version of my dissertation prospectus only to find out I now have the Herculean task of getting all of my committee members in one place, at one time, for the defense. I've spent a week fighting with undergraduates who want to question my authority in just about every way you can think of short of calling me "that black b*tch" to my face. I haven't seen my family since January and even though spring break is coming up I've got nowhere to go. It is payday--and that money went right back out of my account as soon as it was in there.

And, dammit!, it is POURING rain. And I have no umbrella. On top of everything, I am SOAKED.

I'm waiting at the shuttle stop (which is late!) feeling good and sorry for myself.

"Excuse me!"

A lady is waving at me from across the street. I'm frowning because I swear I don't know her. But she starts walking towards me.

"Excuse me!" And she runs up. "I have an extra umbrella if you want it!" And I realize what she is waving is a rolled up umbrella.

I'm pretty startled. I think fast--shuttle is coming, my umbrella is in the car--can I wait fifteen more minutes to get out of the rain? Sure. So I shake my head. "No, no. I'm okay."

"Oh no," she said, and she is wagging the umbrella at me now. "No way! It is POURING out here! Here"--pushes it into my hand--"Take this! You're going to get sick!"

I take it, almost reflexively, and without another word she turns and walks right back to her car. She gets in, pulls off. And I realize that this woman just PARKED HER CAR to get out, and give me an umbrella that I presume she bought for herself, because she saw me pouting and sopping wet waiting for the shuttle! Are you serious?

And she doesn't even look back. She waves once she's in the car, but it's like she doesn't give it a second thought. And I can't say I would have done the same thing. I would have added up how much the umbrella cost me, how much the time convincing a stranger to take it would have cost me, the extra calories burned even bothering to hop out of the car, and how embarrassed I might have felt just walking up to someone I don't know.

But she did it seemingly without thinking--just a nice lady helping out another lady on a rainy day.

Wow.

So while she was driving away, I smiled.

And I've been smiling since.

Happy Friday.