Sometimes you just need a snail….

Let me share with you the hilarity that is being a mother and the joys of Facebook in it’s finer of hours.

The day starts like most, free time, randomly scrolling down my Facebook feed filled of nothingness, and suddenly a post gets my attention! There’s a Mom pleading for a snail. Literally, just one snail! I laugh and think this must be a joke, but my curiosity piqued. It stands out with even more allure because it is posted to a really random Facebook group.

Normally this group is just filled with garage sales, lost dog posts, or a random rant of what terribleness such and such is doing. It’s not really my favorite for a read, but a great tool for bargain treasure hunting. I double check and it’s not even on our “San Diego Mom” group, it’s on “East County SD Classifieds” to be exact! It’s so out of place and so different then the normal Facebook noise.

I just have to read further into this thread now. It’s real! She is not only in search of one snail, but also on a time crunch since her son’s class was having a “snail race” that day! Mom was completely serious!

My heart begins to break as I hear her list all the places she has checked, so I decide to offer up some advice and even throw in “I have some if you really need, pm me.” Lots of people at this point are jumping in just to comment, “how cute this post is,” “how funny,” and of course, “…adorable.” Within seconds I get a response followed by a private message, you can almost hear the desperation. I jump up an leave my husband’s side to go to my backyard. He follows behind me confused and asking as I explain the tale of a need for just one snail.

I have a piece of wood lying along the base of a broken piece of fence and I can almost guarantee there are snails there since it is early morning, it’s hidden, dark, and close to the wet ground (courtesy of the morning dew).

I must admit, the thought of all the slime waiting under there was hitting me. I was rethinking the flipping of the wood plank…maybe I should go grab some gloves?

Too late, I flip and I am excited to see a million snails going about their business. I respond to her message with an image of my little colony of snails and my phone number. Needless to say she’s on the phone and elated. Extra bonus, she also is close by. So I do what any other mom to mom would do, grab my nearest potting container, and load it up with enough snails to share with all the classmates.

Also, any sane mom would go directly to the sink, and wash their hands with the hottest water and antibacterial hand soap. So I did. And after that, I grabbed a few bags to put around it so no one would escape, (don’t worry, lots of room for air) and tied that bad boy off.

Unfortunately, it was a short day week for my kiddo, so I couldn’t wait to see the mom or even the excited little guy, so I sent her a text along with pictures of the parcel left carefully on my doorstep, and  wished for the best.

I arrive to my kid’s school and there’s my kid, all kinds of smiles, and holding a raisin box….filled with ladybugs! I am informed they are to “protect our garden.” Well the garden bugs must be sending me good karma today! I immediately get a text, the pick up was made, and little boy is off to school with snails in hand.

I wait in suspense to get home and check back on the feed. Thanks notifications! I am greeted with the sweetest face holding his lucky snail. Now all the feed is waiting on the edge of their seat to hear, did he win!?

Hours pass…or at least what felt like hours, and there’s a comment from the mom…he didn’t race him…he wanted to keep him as a pet, he’s his favorite! One very lucky snail! My heart is full! Smiles and sunshine! I assume the other kiddos got an extra snail or two, and possibly the class got a new pet. Or, more than likely, the school grounds got some new pests.

For the first time, in a long while, I bless Facebook for bringing us closer as a community, especially for allowing us to help one another, no matter how small or how funny the request.