After a weekend of family, I came back home to my hall and found Digger, a little stuffed animal shaped like a dog with the markings of a Dalmatian, on my desk. To those who do not know about the traditions of my hall: Digger is the only male resident and is the prize possession of the woman who gets to keep him until the next hall meeting. Digger is friendly, always listens, and while he doesn't play catch...he is pretty darn good at the oh-so-popular "staring game" (where I find myself impersonating Will Ferrell's SNL sketch of Robert Goulet..."you win, you always do").
Anyhow, how does one get the chance to have Digger? Well, it is quite an honor. The woman in the hall who had him before chooses who gets him next for some specific reason. It could be "she helped me push my car through the snow" or "she gave a me hug when I really need one" or in my case "because she (being me) does so much for the hall and we (the rest of the hall) wanted to let her (me) know that we (the hall) appreciate her (me)".
I can't lie...seeing Digger on my desk with a little note telling me why I was the privileged one to have him for these next few weeks brought tears to my eyes. It is amazing how much a little stuffed Dalmatian can do for you.