Postcard To Diane
A woman in my life you should know about.
It’s just past 5 a.m. the morning after Christmas — and I’m wide awake.
There’s a giant 70-pound ball of fur to my left, a steaming cup of coffee to my right, and a tiny baby Jesus smiling down on the scene.
(More on the irony of that later.)
There are a of handful of experiences from my last two months in Iraq and Turkey that keep playing through my mind — a few of which have me think, that’s what I should be writing about.
But the reality is… I don’t always get to choose what story comes next.
In fact, most of the time, I don’t choose at all.
Sometimes my stories stem from a song. Sometimes it’s a smell. And sometimes — like this morning — a text message from a friend is what triggers that immediate knowing: Oh this is the story that needs to be told. Like, right now!
There’s a woman in my life you should know more about.
And I woke up to a message from her early this morning that gave me the uncontrollable urge to finally share her quiet beauty with this community.
Her name is Diane.
And before you roll your eyes at the declaration I’m about to make — just know that I mean this with every cell in my body:
Diane is one of the most thoughtful, giving, and generous human beings on planet Earth.
Sounds dramatic, I know.
But it’s true.
For more than a decade, Diane’s been one of my mom’s best friends — as well as her next-door neighbor.
And for more than a decade, I’ve heard about and witnessed this woman’s never-ending kindness — again, again… and again.
Through it all, not once has Diane’s kind, considerate, and thoughtful ways ever felt flaunting or performative. The woman simply takes an enormous amount of joy in doing for others.
I know I’ll miss a few, but here’s a short sampling of the type of random acts of kindness Diane’s been, and continues to be, responsible for:
Every Friday, she brings my mom fresh flowers. (Along with some sort of dessert from the Tom Thumb bakery that I’m not supposed to know about.)
Every birthday, holiday, and anniversary — as well as anything deemed slightly celebratory in between — Diane drops off a sealed, handwritten card… which almost always has a little something extra inside.
Recently, my mom came home and found Diane had spent hours hoeing and turning soil, then planting an entire new garden in front of my mom’s front porch.
Since then, she stealthily sneaks back over to tend to it: turning the soil, planting new plants, and fertilizing and watering it as if it were her own — never announcing her arrival, nor her departure.
She does these things not looking for applause or accolades.
She does these things out of the sheer kindness of her heart.
Sadly, a year ago, Diane moved.
Her energy and presence around my mom’s place are sorely, sorely missed. But the short distance between her new home and her old apartment hasn’t stopped her from continuing to be the world’s greatest neighbor.
She still shows up out of nowhere with sweets, flowers, and hemp cream for my mom’s aching joints.
She still brings over plump bags of cat food for the stray cats she and my mom have been feeding for years.
And every time I leave the country, Diane slips me a handwritten “Have fun and safe travels” card… with a crispy, folded Benjamin Franklin always taped to the inside.
The first time she did so, it was accompanied by a heartfelt note I will never forget, “While my dad was alive, every time I’d leave my parents to drive back to Dallas he gave me one of these and he’d say, ‘Here’s a little green for your trip.’”
Then she wrote:
“So Adrian, here’s a little green for your trip.”
Last year, when I returned home from Thailand, Cambodia, and Nepal, Diane had left a fresh bouquet of flowers inside my apartment, “Welcome home, Adrian. You sure were missed. Love, Diane & Goose.”
As I sit here writing this, a flood of other thoughtful things she’s done for me, my mom, and my sister keep popping into my head…
but here’s the moment that actually triggered this whole story for me:
In our group text, even though she’d already dropped off an enveloped Christmas card for each of us, Diane messaged me, my sister, and my mom late last night — wishing us a Merry Christmas and lots of love… from Las Vegas.
She’d gone there to be with the 86-year-old mother of Cheryl, one of Diane’s best friends who recently passed away.
That’s right.
Diane flew to Vegas to comfort the grieving mother of a dear friend who died... for Christmas.
THAT is the kind of human Diane is.
One who feeds the neighborhood’s stray cats.
One who builds and tends to a neighbor’s garden.
And one who flies across the country to make sure an elderly mother doesn’t sit alone grieving during the holidays.
Even though I’ve seen Diane’s relentless kindness again and again over the years, seeing her text this morning, along with the photos of her and Cheryl’s mom decorating a tiny Christmas tree — brought tears to my eyes.
Not only because it was so incredibly selfless and sweet.
But also because it was such a heartfelt example of why doing for others is one of the most beautiful gifts we can give.
So however you choose to celebrate this holiday season, please remember this:
We all could stand to be a little more like Diane.
More kind.
More thoughtful.
More giving.
And more willing to show up for others.
So if you’re looking for mantras to carry with you into 2026, add this one to your list:
Be more like Diane —
a kind, considerate, and thoughtful human being who makes others feel special and less alone.
With Gusto,
Adrian
*The salt lamp photo at the top of this story:
One day I walked out to my car and there was a tiny Jesus carefully balancing on my door handle. Instantly, I knew who’d put him there. I took a quick photo and sent it to Diane. This was not long after I’d written a story about being handed a little cocaine in Peru.
Her reply to my text was golden: “Ya know, after reading your last story, it became clear to me that you need a “little” Jesus in your life. 😂”
There are Angels that walk this earth....and she's one of them. And I thank all that's Holy for her friendship!🥰
Super sweet!