Ego Boost

Just a short blurb to say that 5 people in the last few days have told me that I have the same voice as this girl, particularly in the video below. Jennifer Lawrence. Katniss. Oscar winner. My fangirl idol. This makes me happy. And on a Wednesday in February, you capitalize on those things that make you happy. Woohoo!

 

Small Town

Yesterday, I had the privilege of being on the receiving end of a random act of kindness. It is absolutely wonderful when that happens. Although I've been fortunate enough to experience this kind of a thing before (here's the story of one of my favorite instances), each time a stranger goes out of their way to do something kind, it shocks me. It was especially cool this time because it happened in a big place like the city of Chicago, where people (like myself) tend to expect it the least. 

This weekend, one of my favorites, Ashley Wisz, came to visit me (more on that in an upcoming post) and I took her around my neighborhood and favorite places to show her a little bit of my life in the city. This, of course, includes Simone's, my favorite bar. Ashley is too nice for her own good and treated me to my drink and would not take no for an answer. I should invite friends like her over more often. But then, that meant that I didn't have to check my wallet for the rest of the night. This means that my purse stayed on the bench for the duration of my meal. And this also means, of course, that when I left the bar, I was so happy and thankful for Ashley's generosity that I left my purse right there where I set it down in the first place. 

Bad move, Anna. The prognosis on leaving a purse behind anywhere in public is not a good one. If I left my purse out in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, I wouldn't be too hopeful about getting it back. Chicago, I thought, must be hopeless. Who knows who's walking past that bench? I figured it was a goner. 

On Sunday morning, I was rushing around looking for my purse so I could drive us to church. Alas, I figured it out. Crap. I'm an idiot. That thing is never to be found again. 

So we continued on to church and went about our morning, waiting until Simone's opened so I could give them a call. I'll admit to you readers (this is not a proud moment) that instead of confessing my sins during the silent prayer, I was asking God to PLEASE let that brown purse and all of its contents to be safely nestled behind the bar on the corner of Morgan and 18th. I know, not cool. All I could think about was calling my parents to tell them about my stupidity as I asked for what the next logical steps were to reclaiming my life. I was facing identity theft, a trip to the DMV for a new license, new credit cards, and, of course, and maybe most painful of all, a long, long sermon from my father about the importance of situational awareness. This is what was on my mind at church.

But then - as you've probably already figured out by now - I made the call and found to my delight that I did not have to face any of that at all. "Yes, we are so happy to tell you that we have your purse for you!" said the voice on the other end of the phone. I stopped by Simone's on my way home from church, ran inside, thanked the lady profusely, and promised my undying loyalty and support of her local business (pretty sure she doesn't own the place and that she is just a bartender, but hey...I was excited) for as long as I live. Every last dollar, card, and check was still in my wallet. It was a great moment in humanity. 

I guess stuff like this happens all the time. People really do help other people out. Just because it's a big city doesn't mean that Chicago is an evil place. I'm starting to realize the great thing about this city is that Chicago is just a very, very, large small town. If I can help someone else feel like they're on main street just a little bit like that bartender did for me, I think that would be a great thing. 

Nerd Alert

Ummm, I'm having a very geeky moment right now. I JUST WON A BLOGGER GIVEAWAY! It's a $50 gift card to a website full of cute clothes called Panache, and I'm really excited about it. Basically, I follow this adorable girl's fashion blog and she, from time to time, offers her readers giveaways. I entered this one and WON. She even wrote "Congratulations to Anna G!" right there on her blog so I'm considering this my gateway into blogosphere fame. Woot woot! I never win this kind of thing! And $50 is a lot of money to a girl like me who has no income this summer.

Aieee! Day=made. Nay, I'd say WEEK=MADE. 

So moral of this post is in two parts. FIRST: You should follow this blog and SECOND: take note how simply giving Anna fifty dollars is a great way to make her happy. Just saying. Throwing it out there. A thought to consider. Think about it. Call me maybe.

Make My Day

Anyone else get the reference from Technotronic? Hello 1990!

Today was a rainy, dreary, gray day. Things just weren't going in the Anna Gesch kind of way. I wasn't feeling the vibe of February 21, 2012. Hey, it happens to us all, right? So I did what every logical person would do to combat the gray day blues: Go to Starbucks. I get so much homework done there that I'm now wondering why I don't go there everyday. Anyway, the remedy worked. And in a bigger way than I thought. This trip to Starbucks reaffirmed my faith in human beings. (Okay not THAT dramatic of a Starbucks experience, but still. I'm trying to hook you into the story here so cut me some slack.)

My matching hot chocolates

It all started after lunch when I pack-muled my way into Starbucks with all my books, backpack, purse, laptop, and big puffy coat in tow.  I ordered the usual tall hot chocolate, and clumsily threw all my cargo on a chair. After about 15 minutes, I finally got organized, settled in, and got to work, sipping on my chocolate goodness. My mood was already on the mend. I had sugar in my system along with a productive three hour homework session in full swing.

At about 4:15, I saw the Starbucks worker guy (I believe that's his official title) walking up to me saying something and I was a little worried. I took off my headphones and said, "I'm sorry, could you repeat what you just said?", secretly expecting him to ask me to leave and stop hogging all the mini tables in my corner of the coffee shop.

Instead, he handed me a new cup and said, "Hey, here's another hot chocolate, on us. You've been here awhile so I figured you needed another boost."

Oh my goodness. My jaw could have hit the ground. All I could say was, "You made my day!" in an obnoxiously loud, abrupt, and awkward fashion. This teeny tiny gesture by a complete stranger absolutely changed my disposition in a matter of 4 seconds. He really did make my day. Which is sort of a weird term, to make one's day, but that's what happened. My day was made. That's just what you say.

While I sat there, headphones back on, reflecting on the goodness of a person I don't even know, it made me realize two things: First, while I know everyone has that whole total depravity thing going on, it is pretty special to be present for a moment when a person shows grace to another. Second, it is REALLY easy to make someone's day.

It was a reminder to me that everyone has this potential to do so much good for others. Just think of the possibilities! Not only for strangers, like this guy did, but even also for people you already know and love! I realized that I could go forth and make SO many days. For my dad, all it takes is saying I love him and singing an embarrassing song on a voicemail. For my classmate, all it takes is quickly asking how her mom is doing after a long and tricky sickness. For my roommate Lauren, all it takes is posting a picture of a furry little kitten on her Facebook wall. Karley makes my days on a regular basis by leaving me the leftover frosting from her many baking endeavors. That's it. So simple. All these things take just a few seconds and BAM. You've just made someone's day.

That's taking 4 seconds of your time to improve the following 86,400 seconds for someone else. I'm not the most savvy financial analyst out there, but I'd say that's got to be the best return on an investment, ever. And thanks to the investment of some Starbucks worker out there in the universe, February 21, 2012 turned into an Anna Gesch kind of day after all.