My mom sent me on a mission this morning to check out her stock at the St. Mary's gift shop...
I walked out with a stuffed animal.
Ha...what can I say? I'm easy to please...
In my defense...I haven't bought a stuffed animal for myself in years, YEARS! I promise you! AND this one just so happened to be a dead ringer of my childhood dog. I saw it...instantly determined that my dog perhaps served as the sewer's inspiration for this particular character, smilled, walked away...walked back (to check the price, of course...haha)...walked away again, and then thought..."what the heck?" This is a bad week for me (you'll see what I mean when you read this Friday's post) so I figured I deserved a little self-indulgent trip down memory lane. What's $10, right?
There's a reason I'm bringing this up. I don't really need all of cyber space thinking I'm some sort of freak show...ha ;) At about the same time that I bought this "Freckles" look-alike...I got a text message from a co-worker letting me know that another one of my mom's care packages made its way to the office.
And then it's like a light bulb went off. My mom used to buy me a stuffed animal every time I stayed home sick from school (for awhile there, it was easy...because she worked as a florist...and stuffed animals were pretty accessible). She saw how happy they made me, and before long, I'd get stuffed animals for birthdays, good grades (I'm not talking about high school...haha, so settle down), or just because. I easily have hundreds of stuffed animals. They're all at home (most in storage), but at one point, they were all in my bedroom. Mounds of them. It was like a stuffed animal aficionado's dream. They all had names, and yes, if you were to play with them with me, you needed to remember who was who (I feel the sudden urge to clarify that this was when I was in elementary school, and not, say moments before my commencement ceremony). When my sister was playing house, I was playing pet shop...and my poor dad was left to suffer my wrath and try to remember which one was "Christmas" (yes, one of my first stuffed animals given to me, was from my paternal grandma, and his name was Christmas), or "Sam" (which was always a fail safe, because I think every single goldfish I ever owned was named Sam - not sure why).
What does all this have to do with anything you ask?
Good question.
I guess what I'm saying is...I'm thankful that I had a dad who would spend hours trying desperately to remember who was who, and take time out of his day to play with a little girl who had an unnatural obsession for stuffed animals.
I'm thankful for a mom who not only brought home a sweet little surprise every time I had a tummy ache (because seriously...how many moms do that?), but one that continues to send me care packages to work (because seriously...how many moms still do that for their 26-year-old baby?). There weren't any stuffed animals in this care package...but a 5-foot-long stuffed dog is checking me out as I type this...and that just so happened to be my Valentine's present from her last year. In her defense, I think she said it was for her nephew. In my defense, I was 25 then :P
I'm thankful that I'm so easily amused. That it doesn't take diamonds and fancy dinners to make me happy. I'm thankful that Ihaven't lost my child-like wonder, and that sparkle in my eye...that I can age without growing old. I think that's a true gift...and I'm thankful for that.
And I'm thankful for the sweet little reminder of my precious pooch, Freckles. We got him when I was 4, and we put him down when I was 18. It was the most traumatic day of my life, and I seriously didn't show up for work for about a week. He was a beautiful dog (albeit a little fiesty around his food), and he had some spunk (he peed every time someone came to the house -- mostly on their shoes...haha), but he loved us and would do anything for us (he once bit a guy in the nuts and caused him to get stitches...it's kind of a point of pride. lol.) I miss him terribly...and my little $10 purchase helped to (temporarily) fill that little hole in my heart.
Besides...when my prince charming comes charging in on his milky white steed and I pop out my little soccer team of children...I'll be well stocked with all these stuffed animals. They'll never go bored! :P
So yes, I'm 26...and I bought a stuffed animal today...and it was for myself.
Ain't no thing babycakes...
And I'm thankful for that :)
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