The Best and The Worst by Linda S. Glaz

This weather has encouraged me to writing something that has absolutely nothing to do with writing.

I feel like: It was the best of times...it was the worst of times...

When I made a quick trip through the grocery store last Saturday for stamps and some yogurt, I couldn't find a parking spot. I clearly forgot a storm was headed our way and people were starting to think: oh, no. I'll never eat again. I only have enough food on hand to feed a small third world army, so I'd better stock up for at least a month. (at least it felt like this)

Folks were arguing over parking spaces, etc. A friend had her foot clomped on while a man dove for a bar of cheese. (are you kidding me?) Krogers is pretty big; no one was going to go hungry!

At home...I awoke Sunday morning to the sound of a small plow. My young neighbor who has been kind enough to plow us out periodically, was clearing my drive without having been asked. Well..for the last two days, he's plowed us out three times. And this morning, after my husband buried himself in the snow (before the plowing) he hooked up a tow line, and suddenly four neighbors were in our yard pushing and towing that Ford Escape out of a deep snowdrift (about 20" and he was majorly buried). The kindness was a bit overwhelming. We insisted our young neighbor take some money for all the plowing (which he did not want but we made him take it anyway, after all, gas costs money), and I baked him double-fudge brownies for when he finally took a break, because, you see, he plows the sidewalks about 100ft in either direction of his home after each storm so folks don't have to shovel it. He shows up at folks' homes without being ask and plows them out. Once he finished with the plowing, he helped another neighbor get his snowplow to his garage where he started repairing it for the other neighbor.

So you see, just when we find ourselves losing faith in mankind, a terrific kid like Ben comes along, and restores it. He reminds me just how amazing humans can be one to the other. He's the kind of person with the type of heart that I plan to write into my heroes in my novels. It isn't phony; the kindness isn't done expecting ANYthing in return...it is simply a blessing.

Hope you all survive this nasty cold spell, and decide to do a kindness today!