“What happened?” I asked as I looked down at my hat and noticed one of the balls was off of it. “It was fine this morning when I wore it.”

My friend Sixto, who had given the hat walked over and said, “what’s wrong?”

“The ball on my hat came off,” I replied. “It was on when I put the hat on the desk. I didn’t wear it to lunch so what could’ve happened. Someone could’ve thought I was being a b**** today and pulled the ball off my hat when I left my desk.”

“Wow, I don’t think that’s what happened,” he said with a chuckle.

“I’m just upset. I love this hat. I always wear it. Thank goodness I know how to sew.”

“You do?” my co-worker asked. “I had a button come off a while ago and it’s still off. I don’t know how to sew.”

“I learned to sew in the Girl Scouts. But, my mom and grandma also knew how to sew. In high school, I even made my prom dress by hand. And, I still own a sewing machine. I can fix this.”

As I put on my coat to leave, Sixto said, “It’s cold out. Aren’t you going to wear your hat home.”

“No, I’d rather freeze,” I replied as I picked up the pieces of my hat and stuffed them in my bag.

I felt the wind across my hair and scalp and around my ears for the first time all Winter. I missed the warmth my hat usually provided as I walked the final mile home following two train rides.

I placed my hat and it’s severed part of the table next to my bed. Then, I drifted off to sleep.

As soon as I woke up on Saturday morning, I grabbed the needle and thread. I sewed the ball back on my hat.

There. It’s like it was, I thought as I stared at my handiwork. I know it’s just a hat. But, it’s also a gift from a friend who thought about me while he was away on vacation. I feel like I have to preserve it as long as I can so he knows how much it means to me. Whenever I wear it I think about our soul nurturing friendship.

Read Days 1-40: https://nikabeamon.com

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