It's been a while since I posted (ok - a very long while - I know). What you must understand is that I have been in a bit of a funk as of late. Money has been tight, my heat pump was completely unusable and summer had swooped upon us with scalding temperatures that have made everyone in the house exceptionally cranky. I love to write, but the temperature in my house was nearing triple digits along with my temper. My view of life and the world around me was beginning to warp and sag like a Salvador Dali painting - literally! At some point during the height of our recent heat wave even the most innocent of thoughts were tainted with the pessimistic view I had adopted and I really didn't want to impart that to my readers. Like Mom always said, "If you can't say anything nice, do the world and favor and keep your mouth shut!" And so I did.
Mostly...
I did whine a bit about it on my Facebook page recently and as expected got many empathetic responses from my friends. What I didn't expect and what has changed my mood and outlook in general, was not only the very nice invites to wait out the heat in the temperate climates of our friends' houses, but in particular, a response from a friend to help rectify the situation. Though I have known this friend since my teen years and we were good friends then, we've barely talked since 2001. In fact other than a few words in 2004 I don't think we've exchanged so much as a hello on Facebook. Yet despite the lack of ongoing communication, he and his wife devoted an entire day in triple digit heat to help us out. He wasn't sure he could help, but had the skill set was willing to try and expected nothing in return. It wasn't quite fixed when he left on Sunday, but he came back today after working a full day at his real job and finished it. I must say it was worth the wait. As of the time I write this, there is a smile on my face, a tear of joy on my cheek and the atmosphere in the house is sitting at a comfortable 76 degrees.
My faith in humanity has been restored all due to the generosity of a friend and a slight cooling of the air. It really is the little things in life that make the biggest difference.
