It's A Small World After All

On Thursday, one of the ladies I volunteer with asked if any of us wanted to have a yardsale with her on Friday.  She was going to hold it at her son's house as his street had a lot of traffic and she felt pretty confident we'd do well there.  There were 2 of us who agreed to join her.  The other lady never showed up.

I talked awhile back about admiring a cute landscaper from afar.  OMG, it turns out her son was that landscaper!!!  He's actually an incredibly nice guy, although a little hygenically challenged.  We talked for a little bit and he gave me a tour of his home.  I so wish I could be more like him.  He says he lives on social security.  His home is small and sparse.  He lives simply, yet he seems to be very proud of it.  You or I would likely be embarassed to show that house off because it's extremely shabby, yet he's just happy because all his basic needs are met.  He says he doesn't need anything else.  He does things to help other people and doesn't ask for any money in return.  If they want to give him money or something in return for his time, he'll take it but if they don't or aren't able to, he's ok with that because he has a roof over his head and food on the table. 

No matter how much I have, I always seem to want more.  As I spent the day there waiting for my junk and other people's treasures to sell, I thought about that.  I wish I could learn to be happy with what I have.

I only made about $6 from the yardsale.  Oh well, that's $6 more than I had when I started! 

On Saturday, my parents and I went to the annual Arts In The Park.  We haven't been in awhile because I have a bad hip and it's painful for me to walk long distances.  I'm not sure why we went this year but I'm soooooo glad we did!

We decided to park at the mall and take a shuttle bus to the event.  It would drop us off right in front and we wouldn't have to pay.  In the past, I usually sat with my mom and my dad sat with a stranger.  This time I told my parents they could sit together.  A woman asked if she could sit with me and I said sure.  My first impression is that she had on really ugly shoes so I wasn't going to talk to her.  But then I realized how superficial that was so I made myself say something.  I found out she's attending BSU!  She gave me a few ins and outs about financial aid and said that the school won't tell you these things, you have to dig in and figure it out for yourself.  She told me I needed to file for special circumstances which I really didn't understand what that meant before and she took the time to explain.  She then told me I also need to file for additional aid because I live more than 30 miles from the school.  (I actually live about 40 miles from the university.)  I had no idea I could do that!

She asked what degree(s) I'm considering and when I told her, I said I was hesitant because of the math.  I have to look into it a little further but I have a feeling there will be more than just a general math class.  She told me not the worry about that because they have a big math lab there specifically to help students learn and understand.  She says she doesn't do well in math usually either but that she found the math lab to be an enormous help and she didn't have a problem at all.  That was a huge relief!

She also told me they also have a type of scholarship called "Success Stories" offered for non-traditional students such as myself which pays for a tutor for 2 classes of their choice per semester.  If I could get that, I'd use it towards math!

Towards the end of the ride, she said, "I feel like you and I were meant to sit together today!"  I think she was right!  She was so nice and I'm so glad that I didn't hold her ugly shoes against her.        

Arts In The Park was fun but very crowded.  It was hard to see everything because of all the people in the way.  I doubt we saw even half of it before my parents decided they were ready to head for home.  I would've liked to stay a little longer but my hip was ready to give out by then, even though I sat twice and rested it so it's probably just as well. 

My favorite part of the day involved a certain dog rather than the art.  There were dogs everywhere but there was a pug I saw who was just so happy to be there with his family.  He just wiggled everywhere and I couldn't help but smile as I watched him.  I can actually say it was one of the happiest few seconds of my life because just looking at that pup was pure, unadulterated joy!  I hope to never forget that moment in time.

In honor of Arts In The Park, I offer you this lovely butterfly as I suppose it can be considered art as well.

Source:  bing