A Camping We Will Go: Day 4

From creekside cabin to fairway bungalow...

The fourth day of our camping vacation adventure was pretty uneventful. Most of the day was spent driving to our next destination. We were sorry to leave our quaint cabin, but both the Golfer and I agreed that three days camping is about the right amount for us. By the third day, all of the dirt and grime starts to get to you.

We headed about an hour and a half north of our cabin to San Luis Obispo for lunch. It's such a neat little city in California's central coast. There's lots and lots of great shopping and fun places to eat.

I had coupon that I'd gotten in the mail for a free pantie at Victoria's Secret, so when I saw a store I headed in to use it. I found my simple, white cotton pair and headed to the counter.

The lady checking me out looked at me with my coupon and said, "Don't you want a bra or some of our new pajamas?" What she really meant was, "We give you those free coupons so you'll come in and feel like you have to buy something else like a $40 bra and $30 pair of pajamas." Yeah, I just wanted my free pantie--nothing more, nothing less. To top it off, I told her not to give me a sack (I always request no sack). "I'll just put them in my purse." She looked at me like I really was a nut.

Afterwards, I walked back to our car to feed the meter. I struggled with my purse full of stuff, panties included, to find some change. Suddenly I turn around to see this lady, dressed in a suit, stuffing my meter full of quarters.

"I have all of these quarters that I need to get rid of. Let me help you out."

I was flabbergasted. Not that it was something all that huge, but it was definitely a very nice random act of kindness. And I'll be honest with you, I don't see that many random acts that come my way.

I thanked her over and over again, but that seemed small in comparison to the two dollars that she had basically just given a total stranger. As I walked away to do more shopping, I wondered something....

Would I have done the same?

I wasn't some little old lady needing help. A little old lady would be easy to help. I was just a thirty-something mommy struggling with her purse full of crap. I just wondered that if I saw someone just like me struggling if I would have done the same?

All I know is that that small random act of kindness has inspired me. I'm sure that plugging that meter was no big deal to that lady, but it really was a big deal to me since I was running out of quarters (and they don't hesitate in that city to give out tickets in that city.) Even the smallest random acts of kindness can make the biggest difference, and I'm going to keep that in mind the next time I see someone with a need that I can meet.

Next we drove another two and a half hours north to our next resort. What a difference a day can make...


The Golfer waisted no time throwing on a comfy white robe and breaking open the complimentary bottle of wine.

The Monkey isn't far in following behind his father's footsteps. For now, he simply enjoys coloring on the porch of our lovely little bungalow.

The Monkey felt it necessary to decorate my bedside table with all of his airplanes. Minus the phone with all of the buttons, it looks a lot like home.

I guess you can say that the boys are technically still camping.