Bah, humbug (But thanks for asking)!

I came across a conundrum yesterday when another opportunity for a RAC arose.  While dining with friends at the upscale gourmet restaurant, Perkins, I decided to split a meal with someone.

A light bulb suddenly went off in my head the minute a waitress took our order (for a very healthy sampler of fried zucchini, fried mozzarella, fried chicken tenders, and fried chimichangas):  why not pay for her portion of the meal? Why not?  The bill was only going to be about $10 anyways, and a quick flick of my Mastercard would surely take care of the check without having to argue over it at the table.  I was so proud of myself, believing that “do-gooding” was coming easier to me now.

I kept quiet the whole meal about my financial intentions.  As we finished off the last of our artery-clogging platter, I swiftly snatched away the check from our waitress, pulled out my debit card, and began to depart for the cash register.

My fellow dinner guest, however, had other ideas.  She bounded up beside me at the counter, crisp $5 bill in her hand, and insisted to pay for her portion.  I, too, kept insisting that she put her money aside and let me buy her a meal. The poor cashier at Perkins just stared at us until she thrust her money along side my card.  Resigned to the fact that my 2nd RAC of the day was slowly slipping out of my grasp, I let go of the reigns, acknowledging that this RAC would have to wait for another time.

The humorous part of this story, however, continues.  On the counter before us laid the check, my debit card, and her $5 bill.

Now, class, if the check is $10, and Malibu Barbie has $5, and Dudley-Do-Right only has a debit card, what would be the logical course of action?

• A.  Swipe the card, give Dudley the $5 bill
• B.  Fish

If you answered B, then you obviously are laying underneath your exhaust pipe on your car in the garage.  Apparently, this is what Malibu Barbie had been doing earlier in the day, because she asked the cashier if the bill could be electronically split, to make the transaction easier.  Obviously, two-digit math equations were a bit beyond her reach, so, as my replacement RAC, I decided to lighten the burden on her troubled mind, and solved the problem for her.  When I took the $5 bill from her hand, placed it in my pocket, and charged my card, the look of relief in her eyes was indescribable.  Her expression of sheer joy and relief made my entire evening worthwhile. “That’ll do, Pig…that’ll do.”

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“The trick is to give with love from the start…”

(F.Y.I.  Most of my post titles WILL be taken from Johnny Mathis tunes, as he is, to me, an important figurehead in the Christmas music spectrum.)

The project is fully underway!  Day #2 (featuring the creation of this blog and my debut as an official blogger) found me mostly hunched over my computer, attempting to familiarize myself with the WordPress.com “Dashboard,” which serves as a “control panel” of sorts.  It allows you to modify and add to your blog.  I was tickled pink when I learned I could use a Christmas theme as my background.  (Yes…I am the kind of person that is easily entertained…even mundane activities such as watching paint dry elicit laughter from myself).

Entering school yesterday with this idea in my mind kept me pretty busy throughout the morning and early afternoon.  I honestly spent a good 4 hours simply working on the creation of this blog, and another 2 writing the first post.  Fatigue naturally set in, of course, with all the typing, squinting at the computer screen, and the extended amount of time sitting on my bum.  Then, I had to attend a student teaching seminar, run home and walk my dog, and then head back to school for an evening jazz concert.

The funny thing about attempting to “do good” for others???  You start to run out of time! You get so focused in on your daily activities/needs/wants/worries/schedule/cute man crossing the street that giving time to others just “had to be put off until tomorrow.”