One of my fondest fantasies is one in which I go to my closet and SURPRISE! There is something new there that I love, just my size, the perfect color.
Sometimes I scrunch my eyes closed before opening the closet door in the way I tried to catch fairies under my pillow as a child. I seem to have misunderstood the tooth fairy legend, for I believed that fairies lived there no matter where my teeth happened to be, and all that was needed to see them was the element of surprise.
If there is something new and wonderful in my closet, I am determined not to let it get away unremarked.
There is never anything there that I didn't put there myself.
Today, Flip found a hooded sweater in his closet, light gray, which he had not seen before. For a moment, I didn't remember it either, and was horrified at the thought that I might have collected someone else's garment at the launderette, perhaps left behind in a dryer, and never noticed.
Then I remembered buying it for him months ago. Of course I bought it. I love hoods.
I'm so glad to have made my fantasy come true for someone else.
I had an experience yesterday that was almost in the realm of fantasy, however.
I was driving to the supermarket and decided to check out the wharf where the Friends of the Library bookstore and my favorite vegetarian restaurant are as there are sometimes events in the large buildings.
There was a craft fair, not the usual tacky baubles but some really nice items which are also sold in elegant boutiques in the city. I found something I loved for one of my family members. (I'm being vague here because you never know who reads this blog.)
I told the craftswoman that I needed to have it, and did she take credit cards?
"No," she said, "I take checks."
"I don't have any with me. I'll have to come back."
"I trust you," she said, smiling. "You can send it to me."
She told me about her years sailing on San Francisco Bay with her husband and children while wrapping my gift beautifully.
I reminded her that I needed her address but she was out of business cards.
She scrawled her contact information on a scrap of paper I produced from my pocket, and we wished each other a happy holiday.
Of course I sent her check off today, but this gift has become a thing of wonder to me because of the luminous spirit of the woman who made it. In my note, I thanked her for her trust in me and in human nature and told her how delightful it was to meet her.
The kindness of strangers is very real and can absolutely be relied upon.
