Today's Mostly True Story. Strength of Character.

Words and photo by F LoBuono

They happen each and every day. And, they hardly get noticed. But, in the end, it's the little things that make all the difference.

It happened to me, again, the other day.My friends and I had had gotten together on a Thursday night to share a little dinner and catch up with one another. They're kind of my posse (in the current vernacular) and we meet regularly, usually on Sundays. But, there was a period of time when we all seemed to have other things to do and, so, we hadn't met in quite a few weeks. For some unknown reason, this particular Thursday fit into every one's schedule - and, off we went.

After dinner and drinks at one of our favorite local establishments, we divided the bill equitably. We all went home satisfied. The next day, I got a phone message from one of my friends (we'll call him Pete) asking me to return his call, which I did in a timely fashion. When I did reach him he explained that he was calling because when he checked his pockets in the morning, he found an extra $20 that he could not account for and he wanted to know if it could be mine.

Now, this is a little thing. After all, it was $20, not $200. Still, it's the THOUGHT that makes it special. Pete didn't have to make an effort at all, Remember, it was $20, not $200. But, that did not matter to him. In his mind, it was not right and he was going to at least make an attempt to make it so. And, it should be noted that Pete is not a man of means. An extra $20 in his pocket could go a long way. Besides, who would notice? Well, he would, and that was enough for him to try to make it right.

This, my friends, is called Strength of Character.

It is the stuff that makes the World Go 'Round.