When Nice Things Happen to Confused People
Here is a rundown of my day on Friday.

I go to work. Blah, blah, blah. I'm at work. Bored. Not wanting to do any work. Tired emotionally, physically, tactically, thoroughly, completely. Training for my 100 mile bike ride has been wearing me out, taking up all my time, and other things are just wearing me out these days. Blah.

Earlier in the week I had arranged for Friend C to move some things into my house. She is going to grad school in a far away place at the end of the summer, and we've talked about storing some things at my house while she is away. I willingly gave her a key to my home, to come and go as she pleases while putting things in my house. She told me she planned to come over while I'm at work on Friday and deposit some items on loan from the Friend C Collection.

I didn't think twice about it. I don't mind loaning some space to my friend. And truthfully, it was fun to think I was doing something nice for a friend. On occasion, you may catch the Tyrant doing a good deed. Write it on your calendar and remember it. It is rare.

So, during lunch time on Friday I get a call from Friend C. Her first words were, "Don't freak out." Now, if you truly want someone to not freak out, it's adviseable not to start a conversation that way. Friend C went on to explain that she had somehow backed the truck into my house. Nothing major, but she just wanted me to know before I got home and before her insurance people called me.

I did not yell. Although my first thought was, "I give you my house and you go and run a truck into it??" I assured her it would be ok, and I went back to work.

Later, I went home. I get to leave work early on Fridays, which is always fun for me. It's great in the summer because I usually have time to mow my yard when I get home, before I go out and play for the evening. This was my plan for Friday. Except all I could think about was the anticipation of the damage that was done to my house. I wasn't mad. I just didn't know what to expect.

Then, the confusion began.

I got home and noticed the garage door area was slightly banged up, but nothing major. In fact, I had hit the same spot myself once before. Some minor work will repair the damage. No big deal. I don't believe the house will be falling down due to the bump on the garage.

Then, I noticed a sign on my front door. It listed some things that I now have time to do. No explanation as to why I now have time to do these things. But apparently someone decided to post a list of things for me to do with some sort of extra time.

Um.... what? Confusion...

I then went in the house and noticed that there was no extra stuff in my house. It was just my stuff, same as always. I walked through my entire house and did not notice where Friend C had left any of her belongings.

More confusion.

Now my thought was, "Why did Friend C come to my house, not leave anything, and then run the truck into my garage?" It just seemed a strange thing to do on a Friday afternoon.

So, with the sign listing things I now have time to do in hand (nap, bike, travel, read, take long walks on the beach, etc.), and much confusion in my brain, I called Friend C.

I think she was expecting my call.

The conversation went something like this:

CT: Why is there no stuff in my house?
Friend C: Hi, T. (giggle)
CT: And what is this random sign that was on my door?
Friend C: What does it say?
CT: It lists a bunch of things that I now have time to do. I'm very confused.
Friend C: (giggle)
CT: The damage on the garage is not that bad, but why did you come to my house today, not leave your stuff, and then run the truck into my house?
Friend C: (more giggles)
CT: I'm very confused!
Friend C: (pause in giggles) T, what did you plan to do this afternoon?
CT: Mow my yard. Why?
Friend C: And what does your sign say?
CT: (fog beginning to lift) What? Did...? What? Nuh-uh. I....

I opened my front door and walked outside to notice that my yard HAD BEEN MOWED!!! And not just mowed, but weed-whacked around the edges. And not just the front yard. The back yard, too!!

Yes, I had just driven past my yard and into my garage, focused on looking at the boo-boo on my garage, and I completely missed that my yard looked MUCH better than when I had left it that morning.

CT: Friend C, did you mow my yard today?
Friend C: Well, there were a few of us.
CT: What? Who?
Friend C: Boy J came over on his lunch hour, Friend Seo helped, too. Friend A thought up the idea and made your sign.
CT: Ok, now the sign makes more sense.

Through the course of more conversations with these kind people over the past two days, I have learned that Friend A birthed the idea of mowing my yard this week (she's a thinker, that one). She recruited Friend C, Boy J, and Friend Seo to come to my house in the middle of the day Friday and surprise me by mowing my yard for me. They even brought an extra mower (hence the truck that ended up denting my garage door).

I am both shocked and awed at how sneaky these people are. Friend C managed to get a house key out of me (too easily, I might add), and they all managed to keep the plan a secret from me all week (and it's not like I don't spend a lot of time with these people).

Once the situation began to sink in, I have to admit I was really overwhelmed. I couldn't call any more of them to say thanks, being a bit choked up. I couldn't believe they had done such a nice thing for me. Props to them for catching me completely off-guard. Even being a ninja, I guess being super tired affects my state of being always aware. I never saw it coming (and actually once I thought about it more, I was a little disturbed that I came home, didn't notice that my mower, blower, or weed-wacker had been used, and a bit weirded out that unexpected people had been in my home! I pride myself in knowing everything about my home at all times!). But the main thing that I felt was loved and cared for. And that hasn't been something I've felt in awhile, being so busy and so tired.

I have yet to determine why Friend A thought of this, or why I am deserving of such an amazing gesture. It was the perfect thing to do for me, and I'm super impressed that she knew that and recruited my favorite people to make it happen. I feel like I've been kind of a jerk lately in some ways that I don't need to go into. But it seems that my friends just wanted me to have some time to rest before my big bike ride next weekend.

Even though I now understand what happened, I don't understand why.

But that was my day Friday.

It was a good day.

Thanks Friend A, Friend C, Friend Seo, and Boy J - hands down the best lawn crew ever. You made my day, and I don't really know how to say thanks except to go relax outside with a book, and snooze in my nicely mowed yard.

C.T.