As I was baking brownies this evening for my calculus students in celebration of completing their AP exam, I realized I only had half of the sugar I needed for my recipe. I decided I would run out to the store to get more sugar. As I turned on my car I thought, "In the olden days they used to walk over to their neighbor's to borrow a cup of sugar." Then I thought, "Why not try!"
So, I turned off my car, got my measuring cup and walked over to my neighbor's house. I knocked on the door, giddy with the thought of trying this out. When my neighbor answered, I told him I had a unique request, "Could I please borrow a cup of sugar?" After a second he said yes, led me to his kitchen and poured a cup of sugar into my container as I profusely thanked him for his generosity.
In less than five minutes from when I discovered the sugar shortage, I was back in my kitchen, whipping up the rest of the brownies. I am thankful that sometimes what worked in the "olden days" still works today.
