The One where Shit Happens

Sometimes friends call just to say hi and sometimes friends call because shit has happened. Shit comes in many forms and sometimes it is the literal kind. A poopy pants emergency provided me a great escape from grading papers for an afternoon last weekend.

As I listened through the phone to a defeated sounding friend regale me the poopy pants tale from an echoing bathroom stall, I starting making a mental note of what items I needed to prepare for a cleanup intervention. I gathered towels of various sizes and an array of scented soaps and waited for the arrival of poopy pants. 

My friend stripped her son and gingerly placed him in the bathtub. I will never be more thankful for a recent bathroom remodel that included a handheld nozzle in the shower. Finally clean, fresh underpants were donned and clothes were rinsed and thrown into the washing machine. As we waited for the clothes to dry the company in the living room grew. 

Although an actual shitty situation, I was glad to be of help to friends in need. Community is such a necessity in this life and I hope that all involved that day found as much joy in the conversations and laughs as I did while working through a shitty situation. After poopy pants comes fresh new Star Wars underwears. 

May your hearts be full and not your drawers. 

The One with the Full Belly and Soul

Whether it is indulging in a boat of sushi after stacking cell phones in the middle of the table so as to avoid tecnological temptations or laughing and sharing beers with new work mates as a welcome to their world, there is definite power in sharing table with others. 

There is a certain vulnerability when face to face with another human being. Stranger or not, it is a special thing to know that those sharing table with you have given of their precious time to engage in the experience. When sharing table, food is usually involved and that means a shared experience, at minimum, the length of a meal. As the food fills the belly so the company fills the soul. 

I was recently out dining with a good friend and her tiny miracle of a newborn babe. We felt very welcomed by the service our waiter provided. Through ongoing, although interrupted, conversation with him about the newborn babe and his recently born babe we felt a small connection to him. The positivity expressed about how surprisingly nice people can still be in our world and how quickly life changes made for a very unique and memorable experience of sharing table. The experience became even more special when we leaned our bill had been taken care of. Thanks Red Robin for the kind service. 

Over tables connections are linked and bonds are formed. The amount of time those bonds last matters not, because there is always a table waiting somewhere.