It might be the giving season, but with the murk of final exams, papers and snow weighing down on every student, it sure doesn't feel like it. People don't need to say what they're thinking; their actions say it all:
""No, I won't give you this outlet in the library I'm using even though my computer is fully charged. You should've gotten here earlier.""
""No, I won't give you this seat on the bus that my backpack is using. Toughen up; standing is good for you.""
""No, I won't give you a smile even after you helped me pick up the stack of papers I dropped. Smiling hurts my face too much.""
There are a lot of bah humbugs around this campus if you ask me. Of course, I'm not guiltless: last night my roommate went to eat the last sugar cookie I'd made, and I shot her a ""don't even think about it"" glare. I really regret that; it's not like I actually needed the sixth cookie.
In order to get myself in the giving mindset, I pulled a classic off my bookshelf—Shel Silverstein's ""The Giving Tree."" If you don't like this book then you are cold-hearted or don't have a soul at all.
My latest reading put me in a reflective mood. I started to think about all the giving attitudes I've encountered, ones I appreciated more than my ""thanks"" was ever able to express. Let the corniness commence.
Being lost
There was a blizzard when I first visited UW-Madison. Since we were unable to take a walking tour, my parents and I decided to look around by ourselves. At dinnertime, my parents had the absurd idea to eat in the cafeteria because I hadn't gotten the chance to see it earlier. I was hesitant because, well, what junior in high school wants to eat with their parents in a crowded cafeteria full of cool college kids? Not me. But once my parents made their decision, it was made.
The only problem was that even though we had about eight campus maps, we still had no freaking idea where Gordon Commons was. We looked like buffoons blankly staring at street signs and trying to read our maps in the dark. A boy asked if we needed help. When we said what we were looking for, he pointed to the left and said, ""This is Sellery. That's the cafeteria."" Yes, you read that correctly; we were incapable of locating a cafeteria that was literally 20 feet away. Instead of making us feel like idiots, he offered to eat dinner with us and tell us more about the campus.
Dear boy who was wearing a Wisconsin hockey jersey on that blustery January evening back in 2006, I realize you've likely graduated and will never read this, but you are the nicest person I've ever met at UW-Madison.
Random e-mails
Last semester I randomly received an e-mail from my older brother that said, ""I know you're in the middle of finals, so I'm assuming you're in need of a laugh. I'm not all that funny, but our idol is."" Underneath his message were five links to Tracy Morgan clips on YouTube. You know what? I did need a laugh, and Tracy Morgan never fails me. If you or someone you know needs cheering up, just Google-search Tracy Morgan and everything will be all right.
Breaking my computer
Two years ago I learned the hard way that writing a paper in your bunk bed is a bad idea. Not only will you fall asleep and chance not finishing your paper on time, but, you WILL also roll over in your sleep and cause your laptop to crash to the floor.
What was my saving grace? The DoIT Tech Store, in particular the student technician who helped me. His name unfortunately escapes me, but we'll just pretend it was Joe. I'm severely computer illiterate and Joe took my dumb, annoying questions in stride. He also kindly sat with me and helped me transfer all my files to my new hard drive. During what could have been a super awkward 30 minutes, we kept a lively discussion going about movies and music, and both agreed Cake was one of our favorite bands.
After picking up my computer the next day and bringing it home, I was happily surprised to find in my disk drive a burned CD of a Cake album I didn't own. Had he not brought up his girlfriend several times during our little chat, his gesture could have been movie material where everyone lives ""happily ever after.""
The long ride home
Last year I had to take the bus back to Chicago to attend a funeral. It could have been a pretty dismal trip, but luckily I had the cutest grandma sitting next to me. She was quite a talker and she rivals me as the most random person in the country. She asked questions without waiting for the answers but I didn't even mind. She was so entertaining and I wasn't really in the mood for talking anyway. As creepy as it may sound, I didn't want to forget what she said, so once she fell asleep, I tried my best to write down word for word what she said. The following is what she, Annie, said to me in a time span of two minutes:
""Hi. What's your name? I'm Annie. I'm 78 and I like polka music. See this hat on my head? It's crochet and I made it. I've made about 250 of them. Mostly animal print. Leopard print is my favorite in the entire world. You like leopard print? It's a shame if you don't. Did you see the bus driver? What a hunk! Perfect for my niece. You like Charlie Brown? I do. You want some of these chips? They're guacamole flavored and Pringle chips in general are the best. I like your freckles. Has anyone told you that? Well if not, I'm telling you now that they're nice. Beautiful. They're actually beautiful freckles.""
A few more random thoughts later, she declared herself sleepy, and within three minutes she was quietly snoring. Her compliment is one of the nicest I've ever received. Annie, wherever you are, I hope you're watching ""A Charlie Brown Christmas"" and keeping warm in a crocheted leopard-print hat. Thanks for making my long trip home a little brighter.
I kind of want to punch myself in the face for getting so sentimental during this column, but at the same time, I truly appreciate all the giving attitudes I've encountered. It would be really stupid of me to not take this opportunity to further my thanks. Please share any random acts of kindness you've witnessed at kqbrosnan@wisc.edu.
