Redefining "Success"

Yesterday I (Bruce) had a pile of errands I needed to do and, as usual, it required many different stops.  I waited until the girls (and Sarah) went down for the their early afternoon nap and I hit the road.  By the time I got back I had this feeling like I had just competed in a major competition and I came in first place.  Then I began my "reality check" and I thought I'd share the results. 

Why was my day a raging success???

1. When I got in the car and started it up - the needle was close to full.  I have this weird thing about how awesome it is to have a full tank - don't ask.  But ever since living in a country where gas is typically non-existent and when it is - a MAJOR hassle to get, I took pleasure in my "almost" full tank. 

2. I found bubbles for the girls.  Don't laugh - it's a big deal!  I actually spotted them in a store a couple weeks ago and was so excited that I bought them only to bring them home and find out that there was no "bubble-making" wand inside.  Ever try to make bubbles with your fingers?   Anyway, I went door to door here on campus and finally found a bubble wand to borrow and when Beth first saw them - she lit up like a Christmas tree.  Totally worth it.  So yesterday, I found them AGAIN - and this time, there was even a wand inside!

3. I found a great birthday present for Sarah.  Her birthday isn't until tomorrow so I can't say what it is - but I can say that I heard her complain to herself just the other morning how she would "kill for......" (one of these things that I found).  These things are inexpensive and so common in the States but hard to find here and when you do their quality is, let's say, "sub par" which, if you use it, can actually make life worse instead of better.  Sorry to be so vague. 

4.  I got sugar.  I know - here again, you're thinking, "Yeah?  And....?"  But that's it!  I got sugar.  Back in February the supply of sugar started to diminish.  By mid-April it was gone.  Someone mentioned something about the former president giving it away to India in exchange for gas or something.  The gas saw the country through about 4 days and the sugar is still gone.  I walked into the store (I had looked in 3 other stores already since I had to go to those places for other things) and all I saw was the empty shelves where sugar was supposed to be.  On a whim, I asked a guy who worked there.  He said, "In the back corner there's a line of people - go wait there."  And so I did.  I had no idea if these people were actually waiting for sugar or how long they had been waiting and my Chichewa isn't good enough to ask - but after about 15 minutes a door opened and there stood a guy with a shopping cart full of 2 pound sugar bags.  The 10 people in front of me got served and I stepped up and said,  "Can I get 6?" (I have no idea how I settled on that number) - and he hands me 6 bags of sugar. 

5. Here's the topper.  I'm driving back toward home already feeling like a champion and I notice that a gas station has some attendants standing out front.  The typical scene is an empty station with big rocks on the ground in front of each pump (meaning, "Don't even try to pull up here.").  So I pull in, wait 10 MINUTES (you have no idea what an incredibly tiny chunk of time that is - my shortest record so far had been 1 hour 15 minutes; my longest is 4 hours). We know people who waited 12 hours and the gas ran out before they got to the front.  I waited 10 minutes and was able to "top off" the tank before heading home. 

When I arrived home there were no banners or balloons - but that didn't matter. 

I won!