Take heart; there is good in the world

Those who know me also know that I have zero observation skills. That, combined with an abysmal sense of direction, means I can't find my way out of a paper bag. So the best technology ever to happen for me....

....okay, no, not the BEST. The best technology advance is digital photography. Now I can see and delete all unflattering photos of myself before anyone else sees them. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. No more getting family portraits taken, only to tear them all up and throw them away (happened multiple times).

But the NEXT BEST technology advance for me is GPS tracking. Because in addition to my lack of direction sense, I can't read a map to save my life. Maps look like nothing more than pieces of paper with cooked Ramen noodles thrown on top. Incomprehensible!

Welcome GPS. I love you. Really, I do.

So recently, I treated myself to something I've wanted for a long time: eyelash extensions. No more short, scrawny, thin eyelashes for me. A month ago, I drove down past Lehi to Saratoga Springs to get new lashes from a lovely girl named Shannon, on the recommendation of our family friend, Amy. I've known Amy since she was six years old; there was a time when I felt like her second mom. She grew up to be a cosmetologist, beauty consultant, hair stylist, and makeup/eyelash extension artist. And she is very, very good at all of this. So when she recommended Shannon, you can be sure I trusted that recommendation, enough to drive the 20 miles south to Shannon's home, where she has turned a bedroom into an eyelash salon.

How did I find her house, you may ask? With my GPS, of course! It worked perfectly, and I left with beautiful eyelashes. Thank you, Shannon. Thank you, Amy. I couldn't be more pleased.

Fast forward four weeks. The thing about these extensions is that they don't last. Every few weeks you need to get them "filled." So I made another appointment with Shannon for today, and off I went. No worries, I thought, as I put Shannon's address into my phone.

But then this happened.

Just as I exited the freeway, my loyal "friend" quit talking to me. That beautiful voice that informs me which way to turn, how far to drive, where my destination is, etc. just stopped completely. My phone was dead.

I tried not to panic. I failed. Here I was five minutes from my appointment time, with no earthly idea how to get there. I knew I took the right exit, but other than that, no clue. Thoughts ran through my mind, one after another, but nothing made any sense. I couldn't call anyone. I couldn't text anyone. I was totally lost somewhere south of Lehi in an industrial area. Well great.

I prayed for guidance and came upon a place of business that looked open, so I took my chances and went inside, where I found a storage company and a nice receptionist. I told her my dilemma, and we began to bounce ideas back and forth:

"You could use my phone and call the person." (Well, except I don't know her number.)

"You could tell me her name, and I could try to look her up." (Well, her name is Shannon, but I don't know her last name, so that's problematic.)

"You could call someone in your family, who might be able to help you." (Well, except by this point I was so frazzled that I couldn't remember anyone's number, not even Gerald's or Shulamith's. Duh.)

And then the light bulb moment! No, not mine, mind you, but this unnamed receptionist:

"Wait! What kind of phone do you have?"

I told her I have an iPhone, and she immediately pulled out an iPhone charger. For real she did!

I plugged in my phone and waited just a couple minutes for it to activate and called Shannon. As I was apologizing profusely for my tardiness and Shannon was telling me not to worry even a little bit, the receptionist asked for the address where I was going.

"I'll look it up on MapQuest in case your phone dies again."

I gave her the address, and she looked it up and printed out directions. I told Shannon I was on my way, thanked the kind receptionist, and hurried off. I got lost about three more time trying to follow the printed directions, so I used the last 1% of charge in my phone to call Shannon, who directed me the final couple of miles to her house.

Forty-five minutes late, I lay on the table and tried to relax as Shannon skillfully filled my eyelashes.

Why do I tell you all this? Because it's been a rough few days in our country. Truth be told, it's been a rough few months since that fateful day back in November and its sad culmination in January. Since then, it's been a bit like reading Jude the Obscure, where the crazy darkness worsens page by page. Just when you think "The only thing worse that could happen would be if _________," you turn the page, and it does.


Some days the only thing keeping me sane is the brilliant Stephen Colbert, who is unafraid to tell it exactly as it is: "What does he think the 'T' in 'LGBT' stands for? Trump? Tomato?"

The recent events in Charlottesville and the president's slow and equivocal response leave us sad, confused, angry, and disheartened.

But take heart!

There is good in the world. There are kind, decent people, people who are eager to help even when they don't have to. Sometimes that human decency shines in the form of a gentle word. Or a hug. Or a soft reply. Sometimes it comes in larger acts of service or sacrifice.

And sometimes it comes in the form of a receptionist, sitting at her computer, with a smile and an iPhone charger.