Hands Down

Today I helped serve hamburgers to our plant employees. I was "bun girl." My job was to split open the hamburger buns on the plastic plate so that "burger girl" could put the hamburger patties on the buns. Next "cheese girl" put the cheese on the burgers. Unfortunately, we had two minor glitches. One, the provider of the buns did not pre-cut the buns. You had to rip them open with your fingers and hopefully not totally mutilate the bun. Second, the plastic gloves we wore were X-Large size. I could literally bend the excess "fingers" down to the base of the palm of my hand.... and they were bright purple. Okay, the latter is not so much a glitch as it just highlighted, in brilliant purple, my struggles to open the uncut buns in over sized gloves. And no, much to the delight of everyone, "burger girl" and "cheese girl" were not willing to switch positions. 


It was a fast paced assembly line with plant workers on their half hour lunch lined up ... With a laugh, smile and my eyes locked dead center in theirs I asked each one how they were doing followed by "white or wheat?" Odd, most just pointed. They were too busy laughing to even care. One kind soul found a plastic knife and brought it to me. A plant worker, patiently waiting for his bun stole it and said 'she don't need it.' 


This morning the battery in my wireless mouse died. Tonight I went to change the battery and my hands, which have a tremor at times and arthritis could not open the little flap for the battery. I struggled and struggled and could not get a grip or enough pressure to open the flap. Suddenly I remembered my cat's fascination with my little mouse. I recalled them swatting it to the floor and...yes, you are correct, the flap would open and the battery would inevitably fall out. I pondered this. And with a stern warning to the cats that this was NOT to be taken as permission for them to attack my mouse, I dropped it on the floor. The cats sat there and looked at me as if to say, "boy are you going to be in trouble!" Me? I slipped the new battery in and am a happy little camper with my wireless mouse.


I've often said my hands are me. Sometimes, I just don't feel like I "fit." Sometimes, I mourn the things I cannot do or can no longer do. I think today was a gentle reminder of the simple joy of looking someone dead in the eye, acknowledging their presence and making them laugh. A gentle reminder that even nature can take "should not's" and turn them into little victories. 


In the end, it is not so much about what they can and cannot do as it is what they hold on to and what they release ... just like my heart.