The Little Things

It really doesn't take much to get me to smile or to please me. I am an optimistic person, although at times I wonder how I can be. LOL

This has not been a particularly great week. No big problems, at least for me. Just a bunch of little stuff that has added up along the way. It started out with one of my customers dying on Monday. She had been ill with emphysema and lung cancer. She spent most of her time sitting in the window watching traffic and the goings on. Everyday on my walk (the paid exercise of delivering newspapers), I would look for her and wave. She always smiled and waved back to me. This is the second person on my walking route that has died of lung cancer in the last 6 months. It just reminds me of my dad and I wonder how much longer he has.

My mom has been trying to keep up with some of the stuff that my dad used to take care of. Since his eye surgery and because of macular degeneration he has not been able to read. She has started paying the bills. The problem is she is so insecure about it that she keeps coming over and asking me to check everything. Not a problem per se. Problem is that she just interrupts whatever I'm doing. I've tried explaining that we need to work out a time to do it but she gets all irritated with me. Another thing is teaching her how to balance the checkbook. I've gone over it for three months now. She still can't do it. Then she says, "No one I know has to balance their own checkbook".

I am getting very frustrated with the whole thing. The "I can'ts" and the "do for me's".

I won't get into the non pay customers. Well, just a bit! What is wrong with people? I had a customer that owed me $14. She put $7 in an envelope for me. Now she's back up to owing $10.50. Come on folks. You would think that at the holidays they *might* think to pay.

*********************************

Then there are the little things that made my week, put a smile on my face, made me feel good.

Amanda got a Christmas card/tip that was fantastic. She opened the envelope and looked at the card and commented on its plain appearance. Then she opened the card and we were so pleasantly struck. The card....everything about it....was perfect. When opened, white doves spread their wings....it was a pop-up. (Insert oooohs and ahhhhs) We have it on display.

One of my customers, (she owns P-Kay and Taz. P-Kay is an English Staffordshire Terrier that loves me. It's reciprocal!) didn't get home in time to leave me a Christmas card and tip today. She drove to my house to drop it off!

I received a Christmas kit gift this week. Well, that's what I'm calling it. My best friend (from FL) sent it. I was told that although well-packaged, it was not gift wrapped inside the shipping box. I got to wrap it in my favorite paper! Nice bow and a tag, too. I have been promised that I will be amazed by the contents. I like to be amazed. I'll let you all know but you'll have to wait until after Santa has been to our house.