Here’s A Little Story I Got Ta Tell…

When I posted in January about hats that I liked it was more to give myself a record of what hats I should buy in the case I’d be losing my hair to chemo.  It was in NO way a suggestion for people I know (or even more – COMPLETE STRANGERS) to go ahead and buy me said hats in preparation for such a bald occasion.  It became a bit of an afterthought as news of good biopsies and plans without chemo became the norm, for which I count my many blessings and keep my many fingers crossed.  What had been written off as an afterthought became a reality this week when a mysterious package from a mysterious sender mysteriously arrived at my parents’ door in Santa Rosa.

Now, ordinarily, such a combination of packages and mystery would be cause for a call to any number of authorities, some bomb diffusing equipment and a reluctance to open said package.  It came from a Mr. Pete Rivera in Brooklyn, and while I know a wealth of Brooklynites, I know none of that name.  But I know plenty of people in Brooklyn who would use an obscure alias to send me a package.  Something from a John Hughes film or one of Prince’s mid-80s side projects.  Still, Pete Rivera rang not a bell.  What was in the package was a royal blue RECON Heaven & Hell hat.  This hat retails for $40 which is plenty of money as far as I’m concerned.  And upon some googling and research, I came to find that it wsa sent to me from RECON directly.  Pete Rivera runs shop over there.  He got a Google Alert from my blog and sent me a hat.  Like that.  I called him to thank him for it and he was humble and nice; said he appreciated that I liked the hat and that I included it in my list.

While 1 hat in the scheme of the man’s business may not be all that significant, I found it to be a great gesture and was impressed by the level of kindness and generosity that the man displayed.  If times weren’t so tough, I’d have run over there and bought some T-shirts or a jacket (I’m fond of their Sgt. Pepper shirt in particular) but times being what they are, I had to opt for the Heaven & Hell socks to match my new hat .

I just thought that was a cool thing to do.  Between world-class cured italian deli meats and limited run New Era fitted hats, I greatly appreciate the gestures I’ve been getting.  And while its great to get such gifts I hope the impulse for people to do so ends soon (I’d rather have a clean bill of health!).

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