Lessons in Investing from Miss Sandra

14th February 2016

During my sophomore year at UGA I mustered up the courage to step away from the University meal plan. It only lasted four days.

While I’m certain I was one of the very few on campus who took advantage of prepared dining hall meals past my twenty-first birthday, the food wasn’t the only perk. There was the omni-present offer of lunch dates, the late night cereal runs and of course, the staff.

Last month, I stumbled upon a blog post from Yik Yak with a familiar face who I hadn’t thought of in quite some time: Miss Sandra. You can read the Yak’s story for yourself, but if you aren’t familiar, Miss Sandra works the checkin counter at Snelling, UGA’s most centrally located and 24-hour dining hall.

Miss Sandra sees thousands of students every week and she’s been loving on them for years. While the hugs are fantastic, I never considered that she actually remembered each one she dole out.

Today, P and I celebrate our second married Valentine’s Day and in 2016 we’ll celebrate a decade since we started dating. After a lengthy breakup our sophomore year, Miss Sandra was the first to notice when we passed the card swipe station in Snelling together.

A different kind of smile spread across her face and her greeting was new, “oooh ya’ll are dating again aren’t you?” She didn’t just recognize us, she remembered us, together.

I’d like to think we could walk in today and she’d still remember us, though it wouldn’t matter if she didn’t. Miss Sandra hasn’t just mastered kind, she’s mastered what it means to invest in being kind. And according to Yik Yak, she’s still at Snelling, investing in each student who walks through her door in the same way, almost a decade later.

P and I shortly after our first Valentine’s Day in 2007

The Treasures in Our Pockets

18th January 2016

I hate the cold. I despise it. My body despises it. As a measure of precaution, I live in the South, where we list our wintry sixty degree days as a perk. So this morning, when I checked the weather to find it felt like a balmy 20 degrees out, I went to work from the comfort of my down comforter.

As the hours passed and the guilt rose, I got up the courage to head to the closet and pick out as many layers as possible, determined to keep my word to myself to lace up for five miles.

At the back of my closet, I stumbled upon the Better Sweater. A few winters ago, I saved up to buy this cozy little vest. While its name should ring full of blissful adventures, over the years it has become my last ditch resort for keeping warm on a chilly morning run. I zipped it up, put my hands in its fuzzy pockets and found a single stick of chapstick.

As a kid, I would hide little trinkets in the pockets of my winter coats. Barbie shoes, a dollar, a 25¢ ring, it didn’t matter the value, but more the reminder. It was as if some brilliant figure from the past had sent treasures into the future to say “I don’t care how miserable it is out there, look at these awesome things we used to have!” Those Barbie shoes had been gone a year, so naturally this was a sign of something good to come. The treasures were my way of reminding myself that it wasn’t going to be all doom and gloom for the next four months.

In this scenario chapstick is grown up treasure, until it isn’t. Chapstick means I probably I went for a run, my nose tried to fall off and I couldn’t feel my face for three days. This is what we have to look forward to, Better Sweater, Chapstick and I, no noses and sore faces.

I begrudgingly laced up my shoes, zipped up the Better Sweater, took one last deep breath and zipped out the door.

I’m home now, five miles faster, and while my nose did try to fall off, the Chapstick was a true treasure. It’s a reminder that when you get your butt out the door, the miles aren’t nearly as bad as you make them out to be. As an extra perk, Chapstick does soothe red lips and sore noses miraculously fast, and I don’t know how it does it.

Next time your brain tries to trick you into thinking treasures are for suckers, remember someone in your past put them there for a reason. Oh and Spring, you can come any time now.

Friday Favorites: Edition Six

8th January 2016

We made it to the first REAL Friday of 2016 (January 1st, as you were spent on the couch, you don’t count). While the weather may have reverted back to its ugly face, this week was filled with warm, sunny surprises. In the figurative sense at least.

On holiday lights

Fun fact: The Twelve Days of Christmas begins on Christmas day, meaning I insisted we soak up the holiday through Wednesday. January 6th, known as Three Kings Day or The Epiphany, celebrates the day the three wise men reached Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The meaning behind this part of the season is something I fall more in love with every year and gives us an equally opportunistic chance to listen to N’Sync and pause to consider the joy that comes with the kings’ journey.

Tuesday night we made it out to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens for the holiday light exhibit and it did not disappoint. Bonus points: it wasn’t crowded, it was actually cold enough for s’mores and the Christmas music was still blaring. My holiday heart can rest happy until Advent 2016.

On baby bulldogs

This week I had two opportunities to get back in touch with my UGA roots. First, I enrolled in Grady’s student mentorship program late last fall and met with my mentee for the first time this week. If only she could take me to class on Monday, it would have been perfect. Next up, UGA’s Give a Dog a Bone campaign kicked off this week, with my stack of cards and envelopes arriving Thursday. The campaign asks alumni to write cards of congratulations to incoming freshman (class of 2020) and is still seeking volunteers if you’re interested. It’s also a fun excuse for me to practice envelope calligraphy.

On sparkly things

I put my new Peal Ex Powdered Pigments from Paper Ink and Arts to work this week after receiving a set from P for Christmas. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to write in plain, black sumi ink again. So far, the rose gold is just to-die for. Since the inks are powder based, I can mix as much as desired for each sitting. I can’t wait to experiment with mixing a little into some of my other colored inks as well.

If you’re new to Friday Favorites, this is a series where I catalogue random happenings from Monday to Friday that bring joy to what can feel like the boring part of the week. Weekends shouldn’t get all of the life credit you guys. You can catch other posts from the series here.