Sometimes uncharitable thoughts slip unbidden into my mind.

Our office has adopted a family for the holidays. Their wish list hangs in the lunch room. I looked it over yesterday. Three adults, five children, ranging from 10 on down, and a brand new baby. The uncharitable thought: "Hmm. What they really need is a big box of condoms."

::sigh::

The mind is so quirky that way. Inside we think things that wouldn't say to people. I would never buy these folks a box of condoms; that's cruel and mean. But into my mind the evil thought came followed by embarassment that I'd even think of such a thing, as though anyone near could have read my mind.

To make up for my commandeering The Sims, I convinced Rob to buy Black and White so he could be a god in his own right. Black and White allows the player to choose how he will interact with the villagers, either in a good way or in a bad way. Those who know Rob have heard him make some pretty sharp comments about things. I figured that he might enjoy blasting a few villagers but he started playing the game as a "good" god, saying "Oops!" and "Sorry!" when he accidentally flung a village child into a wall. He makes comments aloud that echo the sentiments of the "bad" conscience but his actions are those lauded by the "good" one.

The other day, I finally found a sheep ornament. It was $18, but there were only three of them in the store and this was the third shop I'd visited. I brought it home and put it on Rob's desk. Yesterday, he found for me a book I've always wanted and put it on my desk for me to find when I came home.

When I first started working in the big game, I was frightened by Rob. He seemed so mean! He didn't take crap from anyone! He was so powerful! One day my bard and ranger stumbled upon him playing the game last year and enticed him to go hunting with us -- because I knew him from the past and was so pleased to have run into someone I knew from before. Wandering around together for that hour or so helped me shed some of that awe (after all, how long can one be in awe of someone who needs your help to navigate warfs?) and paved the way for the romance that started later.

I guess in the long way around, I remember how he appeared to be and how I thought he was one way and turned out I was completely wrong. The family our company adopted probably isn't what my flighty thought of them is at all; I have nothing to go on but their wish list. They asked for clothes and blankets, not a new TV or Nintendo games or a trip to Hawaii.

Perhaps if we could keep ourselves from jumping to conclusions we wouldn't strangle ourselves in the fall.