Our Patrons Are Amazing

Hey there, Friends.

I don't know about you, but I could really do with hearing a happy story. Every time you turn on the news it seems to be filled with problems, things spiraling into chaos. It's like giving yourself an extra layer of stress and anxiety.

I'm going to share a happy story that happened at work today. Maybe it will restore your faith in humanity a bit, or at least make you smile. It sure did for me.

So, this afternoon a patron found a phone that someone had left in the men's bathroom. He showed it to one of my coworkers, and she showed it to me. Based on the photo on the lock screen we were able to identify it as belonging to our mailman.

Great! Now what do we do? The poor guy is going to notice his phone is missing at some point. I have no idea how long his route is, or what other stops he may have made. The phone is locked, so we can't get to the contacts and we don't want to violate his privacy. But I also don't want him worrying that it's gone forever, or trying to re-trace his whole day looking for it when we have it and it's safe.

So I look up the phone number for our local post office. I know, I know this is probably one of the worst times to try calling them. They have been getting slammed the last few days with people trying to mail last minute presents and cards. What else is there to do? The library was going to be closing at 5 pm, and so was the post office if the website was accurate. It was around 3 pm when the phone was found.

I tried calling several times. A coworker tried calling. The phone is just ringing and ringing. We can't get any answer, probably because they are so busy helping their customers who are waiting in line.

We had our own patrons to help as well. A lady that I was checking out had overheard that I was trying to call the post office, and she told me it was very unlikely that they were going to answer. She asked which post office it was and said it had looked very busy when she had driven by. We finished her transaction, and she left.

About  30 or 45 minutes later she calls on the phone. She had to go to the post office anyway, so after overhearing our dilemma she changed her plans and went back to our local post office. She told them that we were trying to call to get in touch with our mailman to return his phone.

The person she spoke to at the post office tells her that the mail carriers are based at a different facility. They give her the phone number to call the supervisor there. Our patron took it upon herself to call the supervisor and tell them that our library had our mailman's phone, and that we were holding it for him. I'm sure it couldn't have been a short conversation. They said they would get a message to him. She was calling us back to let us know.

I was amazed! I couldn't believe that she had overheard bits of the story, rearranged her plans, and gone out of her way to help us out. I thanked her profusely for going out of her way to try to help us and someone she didn't even know.

And it worked!!!

About half an hour before closing our mailman came in to claim his phone. He seemed pretty happy to get it back.

Maybe it was the holiday spirit infusing itself into the air. A Christmas miracle of sorts.

I like to think we just have some pretty great people who live in this area. From the man who did the right thing by turning the phone in, to the lady who went out of her way to help the library and a complete stranger, to the post office staff who took a pause in their busy schedule to help one of their own coworkers. It's so nice to see something work out with a good resolution, even if it is something so small in the grand scheme of things.

It certainly gave me a case of the warm fuzzies. It was a great way to end the work day. I hope sharing this story has maybe made your day a little better too.

Like Flypaper for Freaks

Hey, Friends.

It's been a day. It started off with a bit of weirdness, hence the title of this post.

I had plans with my friend, who I always refer to as Gertie to give her some privacy. The plan was to meet at her house, go for a walk, and then go to the movies. Nothing too crazy.

The first hitch in the plan comes about because I can't go my normal way to Gertie's house because there is an Eggnog Crawl / Holiday Festival thing that's causing traffic chaos and closing streets.I have to drive a longer way to get there, but not a big deal.

So I'm sitting in traffic on my way to Gertie's, and I see this woman pull into a little plaza, make a u-turn, and pull out right behind me. Didn't think to much of it, assumed she was lost or something.

I'm driving along, and at the next traffic light I notice she is still behind me. As we are stopped I take a better look and she is waving hello to me. I don't know this woman. I don't recognize her at all, even as a patron who comes to the library. I don't wave back. Maybe she's trying to wave to the person behind her or something.

I keep driving. A while later I'm stopped at another light, and I decide I should really put on some chapstick because my lips feel dry. I look in the rear-view mirror, and the woman behind me is staring right at my car, and she starts clapping after I put the chapstick on. Maybe it's a weird coincidence. Maybe she's just super into whatever she's listening to in her car, or she's on the phone.

We, because she was still behind me for quite a ways and traffic was ridiculous, drive quite a bit before we get to a major intersection. I'm going straight ahead, and the woman pulls into the lane to turn left. Of course, she ends up right next to my car for the longest traffic light.

She starts motioning for me to roll down my window. At this point I'm assuming she is lost and needs directions, or maybe she finally figured out that we don't know each other and she wants to explain her weird behavior.

She definitely wanted to chat, Friends. Allow me to briefly paraphrase our conversation for you.

Woman: Hello!

Me: Hi?

Woman: How are you?

Me: Fine...

Woman: I just wanted to say hi! On the weekends I like to go out and drive around until I see someone interesting, and then I like to follow them.

Friends, I hear a lot of weird shit on a regular basis. I don't know if I just give off a vibe of someone who is willing to listen or what. I work in the public library. There are always some eccentric personalities -- like the lady who wanted to give us apples that "had only been run over a little bit" when she found them in the street, or the gentleman who told me his entire conspiracy theory about the JFK murder, or the astrology lady who desperately wants me to get together with a Virgo man, or the woman who spent an entire book group telling us all how President Obama told her to "look for the bodies hidden in the houses" on a local road. Let's not forget the woman in a parking lot who told me my car was evil and I was a devil child. I'm used to weird. It's a new twist that it is now finding me while I'm driving.

Woman: You're a really good driver.

Me: Thanks?

Woman: What's that song you're listening to? It sounds really nice.

Me: Um, Pull Me Deep by Logan Henderson.

Woman: Oh, I like that. I'm going to have to look it up.

At this point I was really wondering how long this freaking light was going to be. Not gonna lie.

Woman: Well, looks like we're going to get to go! You have a good day. It was so nice to meet you and maybe we'll bump into each other again!

Me: Bye.

And then, finally, the light turned and we parted ways.

So I get to Gertie's house and I'm still trying to figure out what the hell that was all about. So I tell her my little story, and Gertie thinks that the woman was hitting on me.

Excuse me? I mean, it's flattering if that is the case, but I don't swing that way. Why couldn't it be a cute guy chasing me down in traffic to flirt? Love is love is love, and I firmly believe people should embrace it and follow their hearts to whomever makes them happy. I hope this woman finds whatever she is looking for. It just won't be with me. Props to her for coming up with a creative new way to meet people. I think she might just be a bit odd, or maybe very lonely.

When Gertie said we had to stop at a local brewery first to pick up a growler for her husband before we went on with our plans for the day? I was more than ready to have a drink. We got there and the beer he wanted was gone, so we had to try a couple to see what we should get him instead. We are totally going with it being his fault that our plans for the day derailed at that point.

You need to go here if you have a chance. 

We eventually get his growler, and then decided that we should really go get something to eat. The place I suggested wasn't open until later, so we ended up at Melzingah Tap House in Beacon.

I recommend the Downeast Cider Winter Blend. So good!

We finished lunch, and Gertie pointed out that we had never actually gone for our walk. I mentioned that we could walk across the street to look at the waterfall, and wasn't that other brewery she liked also within walking distance? Why yes, yes it was.

I love waterfalls. 

It was cold out, but since we were supposed to have been going for a walk we decided to walk on over to Hudson Valley Brewery and see what the new releases were. We did not plan this terribly well, as Gertie ended up getting 4 four packs of the new releases to take home for her and hubby and we were going to have to carry it all back to the car.

This isn't at the brewery. I just saw it on the walk to get there.

So we walked back to the car. Gertie was bemoaning that we really hadn't walked that far. My thinking might have been a little fuzzy still at that point, but I rationalized it as totally counting as a walk. "It's freaking cold. And we're walking uphill. That makes it count as like four times as far as it really is. Plus, you're carrying all that beer. That's like weight lifting. You're working out your deltoids or trapezoids or something!" (Why yes, I am a bit of a light weight. It's a good thing I wasn't the one driving at that point.)

So then we went back to Gertie's to hang out for a while. I like to think we were amusing to her hubby before he left for work. I got to snuggle with her dogs. I am claiming Maxie as my boyfriend.

He's adorable!

And that was my day, Friends. We never made it to the movies, but it was still a very nice way to spend a Saturday. Time with the bestie is always well spent, even if it ends up in accidental day drinking. It was a long week.

I kind of wonder where the lady in traffic wound up. Does she really spend her time driving around each weekend following people? That's a little strange, and maybe a bit creepy. I would also think that she would encounter some less than pleasant people doing that. Good luck on your travels, lady. Hope you find whatever it is you are seeking.