A Genuinely Happy Feeling

So most of you know that I recently went back to work, which is a HUGE deal for me. I enjoyed being a "kept woman" to the fullest extent possible, but was very happy to get back into the work force. Right now I am working as a front desk admin for a small, family-owned CPA firm. I know the owner through choir, as well as her being the grandmother of my brother's best friend. Working for someone that you are on friendly terms with is FANTASTIC because the desire to do a good job for them is so much more amplified. Being back at work in the general field that I was in before Jeff and I married (you will remember that before I became "Jeff'd" I was the assistant to the comptroller at a small consulting firm) has put behind her. She asked to talk to the owner. I explained that ththat fire back underneath me to get back in school and finish my education. I feel a deep sense of passion when I watch the 4 women I work most closely with do their thing. I have so much admiration for their knowledge, and I want that for myself. But that's not what today's blog post is about. Today's blog post is about a lovely thing that I experienced today at work. I was sitting at the front desk, my head buried in my algebra book (I'm attempting to teach myself math) when the door opened, and a tiny little old lady ambled in rolling a cart. She asked to speak to the owner, and I explained that she was away from the office. Well, this woman was so deaf that I had to *YELL* for her to hear me. And those of you who have a personal relationship with me know that I am one LOUD LADY! After a lot of me yelling and her saying "huh?" I finally got her to explain that she had missed her DART bus. (DART is Everett Transit's transportation system for people who need assistance getting around) and that she couldn't walk the one mile to the senior center in the rain. Well, this woman was so frail I wasn't sure that she could walk the one mile in nice weather, let alone in the pouring rain that was going on! So I checked with my co-worker, and then offered her a ride. We ambled out to my car, me pulling her cart and holding her hand, as she kept telling me "what a sweetheart" I was, and how grateful she was. I assured her that it was my pleasure to help. She offered me $20. I politely refused. The senior center was only one mile away, and even if I had been terribly desperate for money, I still wouldn't have taken it from her. She told me that she'd like me to come to her house sometime and pick out some of her jewelry to keep. I mentioned that "that was a very nice offer" but left it at that. I drove her the one mile to the senior center, helped her out of the car, got her cart out of the back seat, and escorted her into the building. She wanted to know my name. After yelling into her face 5 times that my name was Rachel, I finally settled on letting her call me Rebecca. It was a lovely way to spend 10 minutes, and I hope that she had a wonderful time at the senior center. I'm very grateful that she felt comfortable coming into the office and asking for a ride, and I am even more grateful that I was able to help her. I want to believe that people are generally good, but I can only imagine the kind of people out there who may have wished to do her harm. I'm glad that there are senior centers out there, providing our grandparents and great-grandparents entertainment during the day while their family has to be at work.