Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska

Wanda's Diary Entries

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

Small town living at its best is an ennobling experience. Today for me was an example of that. After my morning swim at Reeves Community Center, in which I was visiting with my friend Judit Balogh, we were standing in front of the row of sinks, combing our hair and getting ready for the day. I started to put on my earrings—my favorite pair of sterling silver turtles—and just as I jerked one out of my purse, its companion sailed down into the drain. Judit and I both tried unsuccessfully to lift the drain. We just knew it was sitting in the elbow beneath the sink. Then, while she guarded the sink so no one would use it, I called on Reeves veteran Terry Pruett to come with plumbing tools to extract my precious turtle.

Presto! In a matter of minutes, Terry had fished out my earring. This particular earring is one of my very favorites, as it was purchased at the amazing Sleeping Lady Conference Center in Leavenworth, Washington, on one of my several trips to that piece of paradise, several hours southeast of Seattle. Before I knew it, the entire Reeves operation was engaged in “helping Wanda get her earring back.” Cathy, the life guard, called Judy at the front desk to report the problem. Then, when I was at Terry’s office, Judy called him on the intercom to report the crisis. No big-city indifference. All hands on deck. Retrieving my earring at that moment was the most important job in the world.

I thanked him profusely. Terry, who is married to a woman named Wanda, made light of it. “My Wanda drops earrings down the drain all the time.” May we all live as if every problem big and small is our own! The world is definitely a better place when we live as if other people’s troubles are our own.