Sentimental

A scent in the air. A song. The taste of something. All these things can trigger memories. One small thing can bring me right back to a time and place I've been before.
Today I am wearing a lush wool scarf that probably weighs 5 pounds. It's a mixture of caramel and cream and has tassles at the bottom. It is the thickest, longest scarf I have ever seen and it keeps me as warm as a sweater.
I get a lot of compliments on it. Either because people can tell that it was made by hand or because they wish they were as warm. But when I see this scarf it takes me back to living in Jacksonville. Yes, this scarf reminds me of Florida. And here's why:
I was working at Citibank. My cube was in a large room with about 50 other employees. The cube walls were low so I could see people from aisles away. During the early morning or the late evening (depending on which shift I was working) I could talk to Jaime about her cartoon drawings or to Donna about her daughter's wedding. I made some friends there, all of whom I learned a lot from but it wasn't everyday that someone went out of their way to show me they cared too.
I was preparing for a holiday trip to Oregon and thought it would be fun to knit a scarf for myself. I brought the yarn into work one morning and as I tried to follow the instructions and loop the yarn I was brutally reminded that I am not crafty. I tried and tried again with no luck. Finally, after about 20 minutes of pretending I gave up.
Donna noticed that I was having difficulty and we started talking about knitting. She was a typical grandma in the sense that she liked to nurture and spent much of her time doing things for others. She could sense my frustration and offered to make my scarf for me.
Looking back I should have put up more of a fight. Her gesture was a big one. She must have spent a week straight working on that scarf. When she brought it into work I hope the look on my face showed her how much I appreciated it. It was the most beautiful scard I'd ever seen.