Broke, but Silly Happy

It's not the first time I've done this. Offer a beverage or snack to the driver of a car behind or adjacent to me on a backed-up highway or at a stoplight. It's my feeling that it just isn't right to eat in front of others without first offering a share.

After three and a half hours in the salon chair having my hair altered into some beautiful woven hues of auburn, golden flaxseed and pomegranate by a colorist-in-training at Elizabeth Arden for a mere $10 plus gratuity today, I was dying of thirst. As I pulled my car to a stop at Division and Halsted, I remembered the case of Diet Coke still in my trunk, too heavy to carry in with the rest of my groceries a few days ago.

So I put the car in park, hopped out, and grabbed the case of Diet Coke. I quickly turned to make eye contact with the cab driver behind me as I held out one hand as if to offer a can. He nodded, beckoned and rolled down his window all at once. I peeled open the carton and wordlessly handed off a can to him as he profusely thanked me. I still had good time before the green, and thought about offering to other drivers, but stopped it there.

I am constantly thinking about broke-ness and happiness. I'm a little nuts (as so described in the acknowledgements of a book released this week by world-renowned Italia-phile author Todd Sinelli. See One Simple Word), but at least I'm happy. Crazy happy to share what teeny resources I have, like a can of Diet Coke that cost 31 cents, but rewarded me far more in the giving away --it being the serendipity factor that made that work, of course.
Still had plenty of time to slip the car into drive before the light turned.

Self-portrait taken at red light, Wrightwood, Lincoln and Sheffield