...and the livin's easy.

Getting serious for a moment: Tonight, I'm sittin at work, well into my tenth hour of the first of five double shifts I have this week, when a dear lady who I've come to recognize as a regular, hands me a bag of cookies....and not even a single batch, mind you, but two different kinds of cookies. Not only did she consider that if by chance I didn't like chocolate chip, toffee would certainly do instead, but she also showed consideration for the fact that everyone enjoys variety, even within a random act of kindness.... Holy crap. Yes, I cried a little.

Now before I go on, I suppose I should provide some context as to the weight this situation holds for a simpleton like my self. Over the last academic school year, due to a college budget and an opportunity cost analysis that repeatedly left me picking sleep over time that could otherwise have been spent cooking, I slowly weened myself off of every food category on the pyramid save for sugar and caffeine. Over time this limited diet left me with two physiological conditions: a nervous system fully dependent on caffeine in order to function, and blood sugar levels teetering on the brink of diabetic collapse. Ultimately, I fell into a process of using coffee to stay awake and sugar as a way of tricking my body into thinking it actually had calories to burn for the day. The end result, and what I'm getting at, is that although since coming home I've got back on the wagon of normal food consumption (coffee however, still remains an important part of my life), surprising me with a large parcel of cookies, as what took place tonight, is tantamount to watching a recovering alcoholic do a keg stand. woot!

Soon after my experiental moment of grace, however, I was left with having to process what exactly took place and what I was supposed to take away from it. A few nights ago that same woman came through the garage without her pass, which she had forgot at home. Technically, I was supposed to charge her but I didn't. She was very appreciative, and so I've understood what took place tonight to be a disproportianate response of thanks for my helping her out. And therein lies my problem: on the one hand we have an example of kindness being met with kindness, "reap what you so", respect karma, ect. On the other hand we have an example of, and I quote Michael Doud, "No JC, you didn't do your job and you got paid in cookies for it. You bucked the system, halfassed a job that already takes almost no skillset, and came out on top. Kudos. Penn State's out five bucks while you get paid you hourly wage (my tuition dollars at work) on top of a mound of cookies." Two competing theories, both with valid points, and yet a greater example as to why I struggle to interpret the times.