City sidewalks, busy sidewalksDressed in holiday style
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on ev'ry street corner you'll hear...
The opening verse to my favorite Christmas song, Silver Bells, seemed fitting for today. The last major shopping day before Christmas Eve is always crazy, but there are many brave souls who throw caution to the wind. It becomes a battle of wills in a way. Some shoppers can get a bit...how can I put this delicately...testy. Who can keep their holiday spirit as they navigate the crowded store aisles ? I cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Karma is definitely one of those things you don't want to mess with. It is something that is constantly testing us to see if we can handle the pressures bestowed upon us. It wants to see what path we will choose. Will it be the selfless or selfish one? Knowing the right thing
to do isn't always clear at first. Case in point today.
Kirsten and I went out for some of this last-minute shopping today and experienced some interesting things. While out running some errands, we were also on the hunt for one of the 12 Dancing Princess Barbies from The Nutrcacker. She loves to dance around like a ballerina, so it seems to be the must-have gift of the season for her. I didn't mind having her with me or worry over her seeing something she'd be getting for Christmas. The moment I put it out of her sight she tends to get distracted by something else.
When we got to Target, it was a madhouse. It appeared we weren't the only ones with last-minute things to buy. Well, I was technically done shopping for the kids so it wasn't a absolutely necessary that Kirsten get this toy. However, I know that oftentimes if you don't snap up certain things when they come out the first time, sometimes you are outta luck later on when you finally make up your mind to get it. The alternative is a jacked-up bidding war on Ebay. (see PS3).
So anyhow, I scoured the shelves and realized they were literally cleaned out of the doll I was looking for. Well lo and behold, I found a wedding version of Princess Genevieve. It was actually a beautiful Barbie doll and so I put it in the cart since it was the last one. About the same time another woman came along. She was clearly in search of the same doll and seemed frustrated by the bare shelves. I mentioned to her that she might try another Target that was nearby. I felt kinda bad as I had the last doll stashed in my cart out of sight. It felt very covert.
Feeling dejected, this woman and her husband went on their way. I felt good about finding a doll that was at least close to what I wanted for Kirsten, but then something happened. I had a karma attack. I felt bad for the couple that had clearly wanted this doll and I was starting to wonder just how badly Kirsten really needed it. Not very. So I began to roam the toy aisles until I spotted the couple. I handed them the doll and said I happened to find one and thought they might like to have it. They seemed surprised and grateful.
Needless to say, it was the right thing to do and I am glad we gave up the doll. Instead, Kirsten and I found an even better gift that she and Nicky could share. They both love Rudolph and Christmas music. So when we found cute little "press me" Christmas decoration of Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius, and the blonde elf (forget his name) sitting in a sleigh from the cartoon classic, we were both delighted. As long as the mechanisms inside hold up, the kids can enjoy it for many holidays to come.
Kirsten and I went out for some of this last-minute shopping today and experienced some interesting things. While out running some errands, we were also on the hunt for one of the 12 Dancing Princess Barbies from The Nutrcacker. She loves to dance around like a ballerina, so it seems to be the must-have gift of the season for her. I didn't mind having her with me or worry over her seeing something she'd be getting for Christmas. The moment I put it out of her sight she tends to get distracted by something else.
When we got to Target, it was a madhouse. It appeared we weren't the only ones with last-minute things to buy. Well, I was technically done shopping for the kids so it wasn't a absolutely necessary that Kirsten get this toy. However, I know that oftentimes if you don't snap up certain things when they come out the first time, sometimes you are outta luck later on when you finally make up your mind to get it. The alternative is a jacked-up bidding war on Ebay. (see PS3).
So anyhow, I scoured the shelves and realized they were literally cleaned out of the doll I was looking for. Well lo and behold, I found a wedding version of Princess Genevieve. It was actually a beautiful Barbie doll and so I put it in the cart since it was the last one. About the same time another woman came along. She was clearly in search of the same doll and seemed frustrated by the bare shelves. I mentioned to her that she might try another Target that was nearby. I felt kinda bad as I had the last doll stashed in my cart out of sight. It felt very covert.
Feeling dejected, this woman and her husband went on their way. I felt good about finding a doll that was at least close to what I wanted for Kirsten, but then something happened. I had a karma attack. I felt bad for the couple that had clearly wanted this doll and I was starting to wonder just how badly Kirsten really needed it. Not very. So I began to roam the toy aisles until I spotted the couple. I handed them the doll and said I happened to find one and thought they might like to have it. They seemed surprised and grateful.
Needless to say, it was the right thing to do and I am glad we gave up the doll. Instead, Kirsten and I found an even better gift that she and Nicky could share. They both love Rudolph and Christmas music. So when we found cute little "press me" Christmas decoration of Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius, and the blonde elf (forget his name) sitting in a sleigh from the cartoon classic, we were both delighted. As long as the mechanisms inside hold up, the kids can enjoy it for many holidays to come.
Well, the interesting twist to this little tale is that when Kirsten and I stopped at Fred Meyer for some dinner rolls and a veggie tray (for a family gathering), we made a short stopover in the toy aisle just for fun. Well, it felt a lot like that old adage of whatever you put out into the universe comes back to you, good and bad. Today it was positive. We happened to find the exact Nutcracker Princess Barbie doll we had been looking for and at half price! I snagged it. Nicky always wants to make Kirsten happy, so it will be from him. Kirsten picked out a stuffed Scottie dog for Nicky. I know they have more than enough this year, but I am glad they will be learning about the joy of giving and not just receiving. Next year I want to teach the kids about sponsoring another family for the holidays so that they can see the wonderful things that can come from that. Slowly getting the hang of this karma thing.
1 comment:
Karma is definitely real and your story is a great example of it! You made that couple's day, and probably their Xmas, by giving up the doll and you got it back 10-fold when you found the one you were looking for half-price.
I enjoyed this story, it just goes to show that what we give out does indeed come back to us so we should make sure it's positive.
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