a cup of sugar

i borrowed a cup of sugar from a neighbor friday. actually, it was a half cup of sugar, but that's really beside the point.

i'm not sure what was more startling ... the fact that i was baking on my day off, or the fact that i stepped into one of the biggest cliches in the book.

i always wondered what it would be like to be able to borrow a literal cup of sugar from a neighbor. in my entire 23 years of living in kansas, i never did it. perhaps a lawnmower or vacuum, but never a cup of sugar. and those exchanges never really got me past the front (or garage) door. but at least i knew i could ask without feeling awkward or intrusive.

this situation however, called for desperate measures. (ha ... measures ... get it?! ... ok)

as i was pouring all the ingredients into my mixing bowl, i began feeling a little overwhelmed that my ipod dock seemed to be in a full on battle with the noise coming from the busy los angeles street below my loft. and within minutes, i felt like my day off was being invaded by noise and clutter that i hadn't invited. my simple and unassuming task of baking a batch of cupcakes for a fourth of july party now became a full blown mental marathon. i started whisking in anger and sadness that not one ounce of quietness or a friendly exchange had been a part of my day.

until ... i realized i was a half cup of sugar short of making this a worth-while endeavor.

i panicked.

and then i remembered seeing a neighbor pulling into the parking garage the same time i did a few hours earlier and thought, "maybe she has sugar."

so i texted her and asked if i could borrow a cup of sugar.

she said, "come on down!"

with a nerdish grin as if i had just been chosen to be on the price is right, i grabbed my measuring cup and heading down the elevator. she was on the phone when i got there so we exchanged smiles and mouthed a few words to each other as she listened to the person on the other end of her blue tooth. when she handed back the measuring cup, she mouthed, "are you sure that's all you need?" and i mouthed, "yep. that's great! thank you (with overly animated facial expressions)." we hugged and i headed back to the elevator.

when i got on the elevator, three other people were inside already and i found myself spewing the words (with surprising glee), "i borrowed a cup of sugar from a neighbor!!"

the couple in the elevator just looked at each other like they shared a mutual feeling of my insanity and the other girl just smiled. when the couple left, the girl next to me said, "you actually know someone in this building that you can borrow sugar from? it sounds like such a cliche."

and while i said, "yes," with a proud smile on my face, a part of me actually felt bad that i practically live on top of hundreds of other people who are craving someone to know in case they need something ... whether it's a cup of sugar or just a friendly chat over a cup of coffee ... that i turned around and said, "my name is krysta. i live in apartment 413 if you ever need to borrow anything."

[note: sometimes (a lot of times) the things in my head are so real that i actually thing they happened. such is the case with what i said after saying "yes." i'm really hoping i told her my name and apartment number, but because i'm not super quick on my feet and the elevator door was closing on us ... i'm willing to bet that i didn't. which brings me to the life lesson here ...]

i don't know if i'll ever see her again, but there are three things i learned from that very brief exchange.

1. we all need community. all of us.
2. i need to be far more intentional about creating space to connect with the people around me.
3. i need to stock up on sugar ... you know ... just in case.