Lessons in sharing

I had a truly enjoyable Saturday. It started with a morning walk and breakfast at the Coffee Company. I was surprised as I walked around to see that the "no vacancy" signs were out at several island lodging establishments. The Coffee Company was quite busy, too. I guess the "secret" - that fall is a wonderful time to visit Ocracoke - is no longer a secret.

After my walk, I went to the Post Office and saw a sign advertising free stuff. Unlike the promises of spam email, this truly was free stuff, being given away to whoever wanted or could use it. All you had to do was stop by the person's house and pick out what you needed. Like a yard sale, without money. Sharing of this sort is good - the stuff gets used (instead of thrown out), the person giving it away gets rid of clutter, and the receivers of the goods get items they can use.

After the Post Office, I went to the Community Store. On my way in, I saw Philip Howard, who said "do you want to hear a funny story?" I said "of course", so we sat in the rockers on the Community Store porch and Philip shared a funny tale of an incident involving the giving away of free stuff. Sharing of this sort is good too - sitting together, talking and listening...and laughing.

After heading home, I stopped to chat with Marcy, who was outside working in her garden. She snipped a gorgeous peach rose off a bush and gave it to me. Sharing of this sort is lovely - the sharing of friendship, which brightens my day in much the same way the rose brightens my kitchen counter.

It's amazing how important the simple lessons we learned in kindergarten - like "it's good to share" - turn out to be in the long run.