In a quiet corner of a darkened room, I sat on a footstool the other afternoon and got a lesson in appreciation.

The teacher was a small lady with a perky haircut and a propensity to laugh at many things, including herself. The teacher’s name was Dorothy. I’ve known Dorothy for about a third of her 93 years on this planet. By the time you read this letter she will have left the familiar landscape of the Midwest and landed in California to begin another chapter in her life.

It was a combination of many factors that required Dorothy to make the move. She’s lost her sight and this factor has posed all kinds of challenges. What I found fascinating about our last afternoon together was Dorothy’s focus. She was focused not on the challenges that occasioned her move. Instead, she was focused on the possibilities lying ahead and on appreciation.

It is my observation that folks like to assist Dorothy. I think this is in part because she’s good company, she has a sense of humor, and she appreciates the help.

Dorothy shared with me the various folks who are on the lookout for her when she arrives in California. Dorothy recently made a new friend in the dining hall where she lived. This friend has assigned her West Coast nephew the job of checking in on Dorothy. And a friend of decades past, who moved west years ago, is set to be one of Dorothy’s first visitors.

But the list doesn’t start or stop there. The friend who was accompanying Dorothy on her trip, the friend who does her bookkeeping, friends that visit, friends who call - it is a long and varied list. There’s a network of folks who don’t know each other but who all have Dorothy in common.

Dorothy is a woman of enormous religious faith and conviction. Her faith and conviction have defined her life in many ways. But humor and appreciation have also added a rich texture to that life. And what a treat it was for me to sit and listen and learn the power of appreciation from one who practices it so well.

Speaking of appreciation:

I have a new pair of socks. These socks are the most comfortable socks I have ever worn. This is not an exaggeration; this is the truth - the most comfortable. They retail for $16 a pair.

Not possible you say, not possible that (a) socks could be that expensive and (b) that I would pay that price for a pair of socks.

You would be wrong on (a) and correct on (b).

My son Jeff bought these socks for himself. Unfortunately for Jeff, but fortunately for me, he grabbed the wrong size. For fancy schmancy socks come in sizes and are not one size fits all.

The socks look like and feel like ordinary socks. The bottoms seem just a little padded - but otherwise there doesn’t seem anything obviously miraculous about these socks. But the truth is they are miraculous, marvelous, scrumptious and any other adjective one can conjure that describes bliss.

And I’m grateful that I’m able to appreciate the fact that these are great socks and that they’re worth the price tag they command.

That has not always been the case with me.

I used to snicker and sneer over the prices on designer cars and clothes and what not. “Why would you pay so much for something that can be had for so much less?” That was my mantra - kind of a reverse snob. But all that said was that I had a lack of appreciation of the qualities that the higher priced merchandise represented. I simply didn’t appreciate that style or finish or refinement had its worthy due.

Well, I’m proud to say that at least when it comes to expensive socks - I get it. And if you spot me on the street with a spirit in my step - you can bet I’m sporting my one and only $16 a pair socks that day.