One Good Turn

The other day, I was riding the train to work, and the ticket-punching machine wasn’t working. This is pretty common, and what I usually do is find a conductor on the train and have him or her validate my ticket (I usually ride with a 10-punch pass). However, this time I couldn’t find a conductor, and I never saw one walk by while I was on the train.

When I got off at my stop, I contemplated it for a moment, and then I went over to the ticket puncher and validated my ticket on my way out of the station.

No, I haven’t given up on doing good turns. 

I’ve just been busy.  I’ve tried to keep doing all the things I’ve learned this year (browse the archives to see what I mean), as well as keep doing new good turns.  However, I’ve just had a hard time keeping up with writing this blog.  Anyone who’s ever tried to blog consistently over a long period will know what I’m talking about — it requires a huge amount of time and effort.  What I didn’t want to happen was for blogging to get in the way of trying to keep improving (or any other important parts of my life, really).

Recently, I’ve found a couple things that I’d like to write about, so hopefully, with time permitting, I’ll get back to more regular postings.

Until today, I’ve treated running before work as an excuse not to take the train.  After running, I’m usually tired enough (and running a little late) that I skip the brisk walk to the train station and just drive.  But not today.  I did my morning run, ate breakfast, showered, and then ended up running again, since I barely made it to the train in time.  But I did, in fact, make it.

It’s nice to get to work so I can relax. 

Tonight, I went through my closet and pulled out a bunch of clothes to donate — things that are still in good shape, but that I don’t wear anymore, for various reasons.  It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while.  They have plenty of life left in them, for someone.

Today, I was about to clean our glass table the way I usually do: With a spritz of Windex and a paper towel.  But just before I did, I thought maybe I could try a different way, and I used a kitchen sponge, a little soap, and wiped it down with a dish rag.  It’s just as clean, with nothing to throw away.

A friend of mine was taking the train today, and I happened to be near the station with my car at about the time he arrived, so I picked him up and gave him a ride home from the station.  It saved him from having to walk as it was starting to sprinkle.

As the elevator door was closing this morning, I heard someone coming down the hall.  I stuck my foot out at the last second to hold the door for him.  He stepped in with a smile, said thanks, and when he got off he gave me a nice “have a good day.”

My parents are coming to visit in a few weeks.  Last week, for my mom’s birthday, I got her an extra birthday present: A carbon offset for her (and my dad) to offset their flight.  As we’ve discussed before, carbon offsets are a partial solution at best, but in cases like this, they’re much better than nothing.  And she appreciated it, so that made me happy.

One of the many small things you can do to improve your car’s fuel efficiency is to make sure you’re not carrying any excess weight (insert joke about spouse here).  This morning I emptied out my trunk, except for emergency supplies, so that should make a little difference.

Tonight, after going to watch a movie, we stopped for some burritos.  At first, we were planning to take them home, but then we decided to eat at the restaurant, since it creates less waste.