Dateline Boston — I am very sentimental; I enjoy the little interactions in life that are often taken for granted. Whether it’s watching a spider spin a web, talking to a small child or giving up your seat on the bus, life is full of simple pleasures that make the world go ‘round.
Take, for instance, the little scene that happened to me a few years ago. I had lent an acquaintance of mine a book about scrapbooking, and he emailed me that he had dropped it off at my house. He said he put it next to the ladder on the porch. Well, there was no ladder on my porch at that time, so I emailed back and asked if he had the right house.
He responded that he thought he had the right house, the blue one with the Peace flag outside, right? Wrong. Simple mistake. That house is a block away, but our entrances are both kitty corner, so it was easy to see how it got confused for my house.
I went over to the house, saw the ladder with no book next to it, and rang the bell. An older woman answered the door. I introduced myself and told her about the book that was left on her porch by mistake. She grabbed my arm and said, “Oh! The book! My daughter and I were wondering!” She went and got it; as she handed it to me, she told me she and her daughter were enjoying it.
We made small talk. She asked if I was an artist; I told her that I was, and that I was also a preschool teacher who liked to make scrapbooks. She apologized for not inviting me in, her dog was sick. I heard him barking loudly in the background. She described the dog, and I realized I had seen him before, and also the daughter.
I asked my new friend if she wanted to look at the book some more, and she replied, “Oh, can we?” I said, “Of course”, and told her that later she could drop it off at my house on the next block. We talked for a few minutes more, and she promised to return the book to me within a few days, which she did.
That’s what life is about: meeting your neighbors, sharing, and being kind. Pass it on!
Ms. Campbell may be contacted at campbellalexandra@hotmail.com
