Background
For the past thirty-eight years, I have been a teacher in the creative and performing arts. These are the lessons I've learned from the lessons I've taught.
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The day I had eye surgery, the mom of one of my piano students called to ask if she and her eight-year-old daughter could bring me some cookies they'd made. Touched by their thoughtfulness, I said, "Sure!" But when I caught a glimpse of myself as I passed a mirror, I worried that the surgical patch on my left eye could be a bit unnerving to someone so young. Thinking quickly, I tied a leopard bandanna, buccaneer-style, on my head, clamped on one big gold hoop earring, and secured one of my daughter's stuffed penguins onto the top of my shoulder. (Just my luck --thirty stuffed penguins in that room, yet not one parrot.)
As soon as I saw the car pull into our driveway, I dashed outside. I even shaped my index finger into a hook for extra effect.
But, wait! Oh gawd; it wasn't them.
My husband exited the passenger side, and we gaped at each other. "Honey!" he croaked, still gaping.
"Bobby!" I croaked back, finger still aloft and hook-shaped. "What are you doing here?"
By now, the driver was beside us: the Sales Manager from the car dealership not far away, there to take me for a test drive in this lovely vehicle.
"Argh," I said to him, figuring as long as it was this ridiculous, I might as well just go for broke. "Mighty fine vessel ye got here, Matey."
All he could do was stare. (A speechless car salesman? This was epic.)
We went for the drive, and I decided that, yes, I did, indeed, like this vehicle and wanted to purchase it. We scheduled an appointment for the following afternoon to draw up the necessary paperwork.
The next morning, I had an appointment with the surgeon to remove the patch from my eye. When he finished, he handed me an enormous pair of post-operative sunglasses and instructed that under no circumstances was I to remove them for the next twenty-four hours.
I went to the car dealership at our pre-arranged time, and as I entered the Manager's office, I saw the Light of Understanding jump into his eyes. It read loud and clear, "Ohhh! NOW I get her!"
Hurrying over and graciously extending his hand, he asked, "And who are we today --Jackie O.?"
Lesson: Today's humiliations are tomorrow's favorite stories for others as well as for ourselves.
NEXT: Out-maneuvering the fire department.
Author Notes
My piano student and her mom did stop by with the cookies --while I was out doing my pirate test-drive. They left them on our back deck, so as soon as I returned home, I called the mom and shared the story. Oh, the laughter from her end of the phone line! The next day, I called her again, after Part II of the saga that all got started because of her thoughtfulness and generosity!
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