This strange ritual dates back to a sad and funny day circa 1990. I was eating in the UGA cafeteria with my two bff's Molly and Mary Frances. While we were laughing and goofing around, someone swiped my wallet from my backpack. As we were riding the bus back to our dorm, I realized my wallet was missing. I fell apart. Cried, whined, complained etc.....the girls tried unsuccessfully to comfort me. Unbeknownst to us, someone was listening in on our conversation. Across the aisle, there was a boy about our age with two prosthetic arms. I think the 3 of us noticed him at the same time, and for a moment, we were all silent - lost in our own thoughts. After a short while, Mary Frances said: "at least you have arms". It was so sad and so poignant that I laughed and cried and tears streamed down my face.
20 years later, when dealing with stresses both large and small, I am taken right back to that boy on the bus. Sometimes it's so easy to lose sight of the big picture and forget that everyone has challenges in their lives. And I'm often amazed by the strength and resilience of the people in my life. As I'm faced with fear and uncertainty, I'm going to try to remember that when all else fails, at least I have arms.
