Thursday, July 27, 2006
Even In The Darkest Moments...
I was so fed up with packing stuff up today. I won't go into details. So I decided to get away from it and my family and donate my leftover books to the local library. I have quite a collection, so there were six big boxes to wrestle around. I figured that the heavy lifting would allow me to vent some frustrations.
So, I took one of the boxes, which weighs 40 or 50 pounds, I think, out of the back of the truck and lugged it to the front door. Of course, the library door was closed. As I was approaching, I saw two girls on the stairs. They didn't offer to open the door. Fitting.
Then, hallelujah! There was another girl coming out of the entrance. Surely she would hold the door open!
No. She just flipped open her cell phone and let the door swing shut. Click. Come to think of it, she never even checked to see if someone was behind her. Great. So much for venting my frustrations.
So I wrestled with the door, balancing the box of books on my knee. I heard the latch click, then pulled. Nothing happened. Rebalanced the box, did it harder. Finally I got it open, kicked it the rest of the way, and rushed in. A young man with a labret was walking out of the second entry door saw my struggle and went outside. "Nice help on the door," he said to the girls on the stairs. I thought he knew them.
On my way back out for the next five boxes, he was waiting in the anteroom. He offered to help with the boxes! So we both brought them in while the librarian opened the doors.
What a breath of fresh air! I had to put this entry in, even though we are frantically packing. It is so nice to have help just when you need it, and from unexpected places. I have to become the stereotypical Asian and take a camera everywhere with me, so I can photograph these emotionally Kodak moments and the people who inspire them.
So, I took one of the boxes, which weighs 40 or 50 pounds, I think, out of the back of the truck and lugged it to the front door. Of course, the library door was closed. As I was approaching, I saw two girls on the stairs. They didn't offer to open the door. Fitting.
Then, hallelujah! There was another girl coming out of the entrance. Surely she would hold the door open!
No. She just flipped open her cell phone and let the door swing shut. Click. Come to think of it, she never even checked to see if someone was behind her. Great. So much for venting my frustrations.
So I wrestled with the door, balancing the box of books on my knee. I heard the latch click, then pulled. Nothing happened. Rebalanced the box, did it harder. Finally I got it open, kicked it the rest of the way, and rushed in. A young man with a labret was walking out of the second entry door saw my struggle and went outside. "Nice help on the door," he said to the girls on the stairs. I thought he knew them.
On my way back out for the next five boxes, he was waiting in the anteroom. He offered to help with the boxes! So we both brought them in while the librarian opened the doors.
What a breath of fresh air! I had to put this entry in, even though we are frantically packing. It is so nice to have help just when you need it, and from unexpected places. I have to become the stereotypical Asian and take a camera everywhere with me, so I can photograph these emotionally Kodak moments and the people who inspire them.
