Monday, May 13, 2013

A Story About Patience, Friendship, and a Mug

This is the story of a woman (me) who has a strange obsession with having the exact right tea mug, learning to patient, and a friend who reunites this woman with her mug.  

I am a huge hot tea drinker and have a few demands for the perfect tea mug.  First, it has to feel right in my hands. Since I am right handed and the fingers on my right hand don't bend completely, I need a handle that allows plenty of finger room yet isn't too thick or too thin.  Next, the mug needs to reflect my personality and call out to me that it is right for me.  I like to have a connection with my mug.  Lastly, it needs to be distinct enough that everyone knows it is mine and won't use it.  Several years ago, I found the perfect mug at Starbucks.  I loved the colors and the feel of it in my hand.  The connection was immediate.  When RA Guy, Lene Andersen, and I began working on photos for the first Our Hands Can! Photo Book produced by Show Us Your Hands!, I submitted a photo of my hands lifting my mug.


For quite a while, my mug and I enjoyed each day together. Then one day,  I made a big mistake. I decided to take my mug with me in the car.  I had done this many times before, but this time it was different because I  was also holding onto the leash of a very excited border collie.  The mug fell out of my hand, onto the porch, and broke into many pieces.  My heart was so sad. I felt like I had lost a friend. 

Now, you may think, "It was just a mug.  What's the big deal?"  You are right.  It was just a mug, but it was MY mug.  It had shared many cups of tea with me along with many conversations, tears, and happy moments. I felt a connection to it.  For over a year I have been checking out mugs in coffee houses and stores.  My daughter keeps rolling her eyes and saying, "Mom, just buy it.  It is cute."  I hold the mug in my hand, think about how it will feel on a daily basis, and end up not buying it.  The mug never seems to call out to me that it is the right one for me. Occasionally  I think, "Maybe I can make this the right one."  But as we know with love, we can't force someone or something to be something it isn't.  So, I have been patient.  I have reminded myself over and over that the right mug will come along.  Just be patient.  

Last week I received a message from my good friend Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy.  He was at a baseball game and spotted a mug that reminded him of mine.  When I saw the photo, I burst out laughing because the mug he saw in the hands of the gal sitting next to him at a ball game was the EXACT replica as the one I had broken.   I messaged him back to snatch the mug when the lady turned her head.  Luckily, he is more honest than me and simply told the gal my tea mug story and showed her a photo of it on the site.  She washed out the mug she had bought at a second hand store and gave it to him to give to me.

Today, my mug arrived!!!!!  It is nice to have my long lost connection back in my own hands. And now, it is even better because this new one comes with a story of its own.  I am glad that I was patient and waited rather than jumping on the first good looking mug.  Sometimes the best things come with patience and of course having a good friend keeping you in mind at all times doesn't hurt either.  Thanks Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy.  You are the best.     

14 comments:

  1. I feel much better now. It's been so weird having meetings without your cup. ;)

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    1. Thanks Lene. It does feel better to have it back. I can't wait for you to see it during our next online meeting. :)

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  2. Why do I keep hearing that song, was it the Monkeys? Perfect Together.

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  3. What a blessing Cathy to have someone care that much! I too am like you with my mugs. However, my hubby holds the record. He got his mug over 32 years ago (I know this because he had it prior to our marriage) and well honestly being ex-Navy, it hasn't been washed in as long, but it is his and we all know to not touch it. So happy RA Guy saw it and talked to the lady....so happy for you and your hands!

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    1. Wow! 32 years! I hope mine last that long too, especially now that it has a story. :)

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  4. That is a super cool story! People's generosity amazes me sometimes...

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    1. So true Christine. It's too bad we don't focus more on these stories. I think our world would be a better place.

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  5. Okay, so I now really believe in miracles. What a great story. Just think, if you didn't have RA, you wouldn't have known RA Guy nor had your picture (with the mug) in the Show Us Your Hands site. This was definitely meant to be. Congratulations on getting your "friend" back! (I secretly believe that your original mug was reincarnated, which is how it wound up in the second-hand store on its journey back to you ...)

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    1. Carla, I was secretly thinking the same thing! I love it!

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  6. Love, love, LOVE this story! What a guy! He truly is a dear friend to you :-) Your story brought a chuckle to me as I have this hot pink travel mug that I have had for years. It is for when I go in the car :-) well, yup I "lost" it one day at a local flea market. I missed my pink lady friend and would have swore she was gone for good. Apparently I had set her down on a stand and forgot her there. The following week (I try to go to this flea market to force myself to get out and walk) while meandering through again, this sweet lady called over to me and said she think she had something of mine that I had forgotten the week before. She handed my my hot pink travel mug. To this day I have lost this mug no less then 8 times and yet she finds her way back to me every single time. And did I mention that with her has come 8 dear flea market friends, two of which also have ra. Yup, it is surely a small world :-) I am glad your mug is back home too!

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    1. Deb, it seems many of us have a strong connection with our mugs. You obviously did since it kept wanting to come back to you. Eight times??? Wow! Impressive. Somehow I see the hot pink matching perfectly with your personality. :) Good to hear from you.

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  7. Cool. There are a lot of good people out there ... you just have to look a little harder for them nowdays. Two thumbs up to RA Guy as well!

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  8. What a heart-warming story from a very considerate friend! The woman at the baseball game certainly played a pivotal role, too. :)

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