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Bed, Bath and Way Beyond
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Me and My Dog
By Lisa Fowler
It is a happy talent to know how to play.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Volunteering wasn’t my cup of tea. The thought of giving up my precious time in exchange for nothing didn’t interest me. But then, at the ripe young age of fifty, I unexpectedly found myself unable to work as the result of a medical condition. Suddenly, I had way too much time on my hands.
The first year or so of my forced retirement was spent mostly sitting for hours alone feeling sorry for myself. The second year I spent my time cleaning out more closets, junk rooms and cubbyholes than I’d ever realized one home could have. There were times I was so bored with life that I actually contemplated knocking on my neighbors’ doors to beg them to let me clean their forgotten spaces. The “postal lady” dreaded seeing me sitting on the porch when delivering the mail. I so longed for conversation I’d talk with her about anything that popped into my mind. The librarians at my local library called me by name because I’d spent so many hours bothering them.
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