April 26 – “The Barrier”

Thank you to everyone for your concern about my knee after my run-in with the miraculous collapsible chair now available at your local Sugar Bean Coffee Shop.  It is still sore, but I think I just might make it.  I still haven’t heard from the store owner as promised.  That would have been a nice touch on their part.

Yesterday was haircut day for me.  Much, much nicer than the day Chris started out with.  For her it was dentist day.  Just a cleaning, but she had to deal with their crazy policy of ten percent off if you pay in cash.  Since we don’t have insurance, that is always our go-to option at the dentist (also another reason I do my best to avoid going at all).  Just a cleaning would fall under the $100 barrier, but they do their best to bully us into having x-rays done as well.  Nope.  Maybe once a year I’ll go for that, but … nope.  Last time I went in and they tried it on me, I told them, “Sure.  Are they going to be free?”  Of course not.  “Well, then.  I guess I’ll just have to pass since I only brought enough cash for a cleaning.”  Chris refused them this time, too.  And then the dentist has to make an appearance, and we have to pay dearly for her to stick her fingers in our mouth, take a quick look, ask for the x-rays, reprimand us for not letting them take x-rays, and ominously add, “Next visit we WILL take x-rays.”  So when Chris went to check out she handed the clerk two one hundred dollar bills (We raided our savings account).  And the response?  “Do you have anything less than a hundred?”  Nope.  So she disappeared into the bowels of the office in search of change.  When she returned she asked if Chris happened to have 65 cents.  Luckily she did and all was well.  The clerk might not have been so lucky with me.  I generally have a difficult time parting with my 65 cents-es (So much so that I rarely carry them around with me).

Oh, and my morning?  I love getting my haircut.  Very relaxing.  My hair-cutter is a Seasider, too, so we generally have something to talk about.  And to top it off when I walked into the shop, who should be sitting there but our old neighbors, Mario and Carolyn.  Last time I saw them, believe it or not, was the last time I got my hair cut.  It was great fun reminiscing about stinky plants and changes to the neighborhood. 

Oh, and speaking of the neighborhood, last night at Cailyn’s last softball game of the season (her team won handily), we saw the couple who originally bought Mom and Dad’s house after Hurricane Ike.  I had no idea who they were other than that they mentioned the neighborhood.  Chris stepped up, though, and dropped enough clues for me to figure it out.  You never know who you’re going to recognize here on the Island.

Psalms 55:16-17 says, “But I call to God, and the Lord saves me.  Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.”

Father, thank you for surprise contacts.  They sure make life an adventure.  Amen.