I posted a silly picture on Instagram that was taken when my friends and I were grocery shopping during our weekend getaway in Mammoth. In the produce section, I noticed a bright yellow sign in front of the bananas that said, “Pick me I’m single.” Being the creative person that I am, I came up with this crazy idea of posing in front of the sign as if it were a dating ad. It was all fun and games and my friends tend to bring that out in me. We even had the produce attendant cracking up as the silliness was contagious.

Shortly after we left that section, I went to grab a couple of 1-gallon jugs of water. Of course, the ones I wanted were on the top shelf. Not only that, they were at the very back of the top shelf. I was able to grab one jug, but struggled with the second one for about a minute. I was determined to get that jug of water and was about to climb on the shelf (I like climbing stuff) when I felt someone behind me. My normal reaction is to move away because of personal space preferences, but this time, I stood my ground.

Next, I heard a man’s voice asking if I needed help, so I turned around and sheepishly said yes. The man reached up and grabbed the jug with no problem at all and I thanked him for the assistance. Normally, I would have just said I was okay and didn’t need any help, even though I clearly did. I let myself be vulnerable for once and it was all good.

People often ask where all the “cowboys” have gone and I am guilty of having posed that question myself. The reality is that they haven’t gone anywhere. They are all around us. We just have to open our eyes and hearts to appreciate the decency of a kind gesture. I’m learning and growing. In the words of Steve Harvey, “God ain’t through with me yet!”

Check back for more tales from my weekend in Mammoth including a walk through a tufa wonderland, my battle with AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) and a journey into a volcanic crater!

Happy trails!

~J