Sharing of the Fish

Sometimes it's the little things. No, I take that back. It's always the little things. Case in point: Swedish Fish.

I've been wrapped up in my own little world lately. Okay, more than usual over the last year. You know that feeling ... like the entire universe is revolving around you and your little challenges. I usually hit this state (on overdrive) right about the time Lent begins. Which is good for me--not just because it reminds me that I need to think of others, but because my personal Lenten challenge (in addition to giving up cupcakes) is to try and do something for someone else every day. Something out-of-the-ordinary. Something in secret (which I realized I'm blowing right now).

Now, our little family has (had) a thing for Swedish Fish. I'm not sure when it started ... probably on a vacation in our distant past. But we haven't had any in a while. We like the way you can bend them over your tongue and feel their candy "scales." One day recently I found some "movie theatre" size boxes on sale at the drug store, bought them and sneaked them into the boys lunches. No one mentioned it until last night.

We were on our way home from dinner out (Waffle House) and started chatting about Lent. I mentioned I was trying to do a nice deed every day. Like the fish. We all smiled. Then Tom mentioned that he had shared his big box of fish with his co-worker on that day (a few weeks ago). I pictured these two blue collar guys sitting in their company trucks at lunch savoring the red candy fish after their sandwiches.

"Yea ... then Rick (same co-worker) called me last Friday," Tom said. "He was in the drug store looking for a box of Swedish Fish, but he couldn't remember the name of them. He said--'you know, that candy we ate when we were kids? It's hard to find.' "

We all smiled.

"My fish caused the pebble in the pond effect," I said.

Little things. You just never know.