Overthinking

At the end of this past curling season I won a door prize of a $10 gift card for Shoppers Drug Mart. It's a Canadian drug store chain, so I would have to spend it in Canada. No big deal; I'm there often enough.

The silly thing is, I began tying myself in knots mentally about when I'd use it and what I'd buy. This was special, I was thinking. It must be used wisely. It must be spent on exactly the right thing. I was treating the card as some sort of golden ticket rather than the effective ten dollar bill which is all it really was. 

Being in Toronto (which conveniently is in Canada) this past weekend, I finally spent it. As me son Frank and I made our way about town Saturday afternoon we stumbled upon a Shoppers. We stopped in and bought a pop and a snack each, and blew the card. Why? Because I finally told myself it was stupid to 'save' it. We were thirsty and vaguely hungry. Use the card.

The really dumb part was how relieved I was afterward. It was a weight off my shoulders, a burden lifted, to actually have spent that gift card. Silliness. But how better can you use a gift than with family on a short vacation? 

I really have to stop overanalyzing.

The plush toucan

Dads like to do nice things for their kids. And nice things don't have to be spectacular.

When my daughter was 6 or 7, we found ourselves on a family vacation in St. Ignace, Michigan. Wherever we were, there was this crane machine, the type where you pay a quarter for a chance to grab a toy or prize or whatever. Abby spotted this stuffed toucan doll which she decided that she had to have. We gave her 4 or 5 quarters and she went to work trying to scoop that bird out of the machine. But fortune wasn't with her and she didn't get it. After the last quarter was played she went off with her mother for a drink of water, and I could tell she was disappointed.

I had one more quarter. I stood by that oversized toy and thought, why not try? I've never been good at those things, but hey. I fed it to the crane machine and lo and behold, I managed to nab that toucan.

I must admit I was pretty tickled at my luck. Yet I anticipated Abby's reaction would be better, so I held the doll behind my back and headed towards the water fountain where her and her mom were.

When I was next to her I asked commandingly, "Abby?" She turned towards me, and I brought my right hand out, presenting her that toucan.

The wide, bright eyes and huge smile were one great prize themselves, let me tell you. The big hug and loud "Thank you Daddy!" didn't hurt either. She showed it to me a year or two ago; she still has that little toucan.

Nice things don't have to be spectacular.