Thinking of others changed her mood

It was a simple thing. A bag of cookies had been left hanging on my door. But as delicious as the cookies were, the other thing in the bag made all the difference in the world.

It was something that could not be touched but that I could feel in the very core of my being. It was the one thing that made all the difference.

Friendship. Caring. Consideration. Yes, I know. That’s three things, not one. Actually, those are different facets of the same thing.

I had called a friend to see how she was healing from her recent shoulder surgery and to distract myself from my own problems. She is healing well and was looking forward to spending a few days with the grandchildren. As someone who loves grandchildren, I am expecting to hear lots of new stories about them. I love stories as much as kids. My friend had left the cookies on her way out of town.

 The phone call worked. It got me out of my own pity party and let me know that good things are happening. Later on in the week I saw that she had taught her granddaughters to make pillows. It felt good to know that she is passing her talents to the next generation.

People don’t realize how little it takes to make someone’s day. A bit of conversation and delicious cookies turned a dismal day into one filled with sunshine.

 Later on I wandered through the flowerbeds and pulled a weed or two. I deadheaded some pincushion flowers. I searched through the nasturtiums until I found the baby eggplant that won’t be ready to pick for at least a week. I found a banana pepper that the bunnies forgot to eat. The tomatoes are towering over me and are sporting green globes that will someday be red. I felt contentment fill my soul.

 It all began with a phone call to a friend. I have found that checking to see how others are doing puts my own problems into perspective. Everybody has problems. No life is perfect. There are times when life becomes overwhelming. It is at those times that it is most difficult to realize my problems are minimal compared to others.

 When my mom was alive she would often complain. On the rare occasions when she would go out to the senior center or someone other than family would drop by, she always remarked how much better it felt to talk to other people. It reminded her that she was not the only one dealing with the adverse effects of getting older.

 Picking up the phone not only made me feel better, it meant I got to enjoy some delicious cookies. Plus it reminded me that not only do other people have problems, they also have grandchildren to visit.

My own grandchildren are well. Nicholas should get his new glasses soon. Jacob has his first girlfriend. Emma is practicing songs from the play, “Hamilton.” Thankfully, Emma doesn’t share my utter disinterest in history. Bonus grandkid, Paige is also into “Hamilton.” The two girls have memorized almost all the songs. Bonus teenager, Nathaniel, is heavily into gender stereotypes and refuses to cook as that is a “girl’s” job. I guess he doesn’t realize that many great chefs are male.

Things are looking up. My friend is healing. And her cookies are almost gone. I am a very lucky woman.