Itโs been a week.
The challenges began when I caught my laptop power cord with my foot as I was moving past the table where I was working.
No big deal, you say? Yeah. Thatโs what I thought.
Then I picked up my laptop, which had followed that cord to the floor, and discovered the new psychedelic design of my shattered laptop screen.
Iโll spare you the painful details of the endless chaos in trying to figure out a new piece of technology---which I know nothing about other than creating words and imagesโalong with the agita of trying to recover all those words and images no longer accessible behind that shattered screen.
The good news is that I am blessed by the friendship of people like Bob Reynolds and Marc Odien, who kindly and patiently led me through the maze of electronic information and options. Within 24 hours of the shattering experience my words and images life was restored.
The rest of my week offered the usual silliness and stresses---compounded by Mother Nature's insistence to make everyone in WNY feel as if we were living in Kansas and were all named Dorothy!
A little bit โo wind is no big deal. When gusts take out my plants---and destroy the first hand-crafted piece of pottery I'd dreamed of owning and finally purchased this garden season--- you get the picture.
Frustrated but determined, I kept on keepin' on, spending part of the week finishing up shopping for a client who just moved into a new home. Itโs part of the services I provide through my new business, ๐ป๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐.
One of the stops on my list was a chain store where I needed to make a few exchanges. As I approached the assigned area, my eyes lit on the employee behind the counterโa lovely lady wearing a great big smile---and a hat filled with flowers.
My brain---clouded with the frustrations of my week---stalled for a moment. I couldnโt quite register the vision before me. Then, without thought, my week-long frown turned upside down and transformed into outright laughter.
Approaching the woman, I asked her if she made the hat? She nodded in affirmation.
I questioned if she wears her hats everyday, to which she said, โyes.โ
My third query was if people call her โThe Hat Lady?โ This time, she laughed and stated, โEven when I go to the Erie County Fair!โ
At this point my whole being was filled with a sense of joy---a significant accomplishment considering the week I'd experienced. As I stood and marveled at this sweet human being before me, I wondered out loud, โWhy do you do this?โ
Without missing a beat, she beamed and replied, โBecause it makes people smile.โ
And that, ladies and gents, is how a bad week is made good.