I've always had to depend on the kindness of strangers

That's a line from "A Streetcar Named Desire" which is a wonderful play by Tennessee Williams which you must see if you ever get the chance and even if you don't get a chance to see the play, be sure to see the movie with Marlon Brando (yes, the GREAT actor) and Vivien Leigh (who is great and I won't say "as well" because she's just great, not in addition to anyone else, but all on her own).  Blanche (played by Vivien Leigh) says that line after having a nervous breakdown after going through all sorts of terrible cruel things perpetrated upon her by people she knows.  It is one of those iconic lines from great movies that people often quote and it's one of those lines my sister and I say a lot.  I had to depend on a kind stranger this morning when I dropped my keys into the bear-proof bin at the park.  Daisy and I were there before 7 for our walk and usually I put my keys in my pocket, but I didn't have a pocket and was throwing away her poop bag and fumbling with the lid and didn't my keys fall out of my hand and then deep down in the bin!  It is bear proof but also human-proof and I couldn't reach them although I could see them down at the bottom of the bin.  Without my keys, I couldn't get back into my house (everyone else was sleeping) or drive myself to picket in Richmond.  So I saw a guy sitting in his truck, smoking and looking out at the water, and I went over and asked if he had a coat hanger and explained my plight.  Coincidentally, he had lost something in a different garbage bin at the park.  He had put some money into an empty cigarette package (which doesn't seem like a great idea, but I don't smoke so I don't really know what one usually does with an empty pack) and his friend had inadvertently thrown it out.  So he was waiting for the people from the city to come and open the bin.  He found a coat hanger in his truck and he used it to hook my keys and pull them out for me.  So thanks so much to that kind stranger.

Later I was picketing in front of the school board office and we were handing out leaflets and a nicely dressed lady with very well coiffed hair walked by and one of the other teachers said, "may I give you some information about our dispute?" and the lady shook her head gruffly and muttered, as she walked away, "shame on you" which I thought was UNkind.  If she had an imagination, she would realize that it is not a picnic to stand outside of your employers' office handing out leaflets, especially after such a long time on the picket line.  Walk a mile in the other person's shoes before you try to shame them and make them feel badly.  That's the beauty of theatre -- it gives us that chance.