First thing that comes to a person's mind is money or winning. It is a normal and expected response. Gambling is a poor man's dream to get rich quick, but gambling is something everyone does. It is all in how you look at it.
Life is a gamble and we take chances every day. We weigh out our options and choose what we think is best and go for it. Hoping for the best possible outcome is what we strive for. Every time we leave the comfort of our homes, we are taking a gamble that everything goes smoothly. Every time we travel by car, plane or train we take a gamble. While some look at the results of what we do, experience, and the people we meet as fate, the truth is it's all a gamble.
It reminds me of something I learned while in beauty school. The teacher told us that 'we are the makers of our destiny'. Nothing just lands in our lap. You have to work for it.
Well, I know that when it comes to who I am, I try to put in 110% of myself into it. There are days I put in less, but who doesn't? I work hard at my job, I have been known to play even harder. The cards that get dealt to me are not always what I want, but I do what I can with them. I would love to win all the time, but winning is not something that comes easily or natural to me.
With Christmas so close, I was trying to keep a realistic spin on things. This year was going to be another year of only giving. Receiving a gift from my husband was not an option since money is tighter than the skin on a drum. Both sides of the family decided to focus the gift giving to the children, so shopping was easy this year. Sadly, with less money, the amount of what I can buy became less. Looks like Christmas-lite this year. I sure hope the kids like what I got them.
I secretly hoped my husband would surprise me with a kitchen table this year for Christmas. A kitchen table, you ask? Yes, a kitchen table. I really am not a materialistic person. Diamonds are nice, but I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of person. Diamonds are way too fancy for my style ;)
The reason I wanted a kitchen table is because... we need one. We have a dining room table and we use that for all our meals. For years, we really did not have the space for another table... especially in the kitchen. When we had our dog, Molly, she had a little home inside our home. She was kennel trained and being a German Shepherd, her kennel was not small. She had the best spot in the house. This place of hers had temperature control from the vent that was right next to her. Warm air in the winter and cool air in the summer. That spot was in my kitchen. For almost 12 years, it was her spot. After her passing, I could not stand looking at that empty cage so I put it away. It has been almost 3 years since her passing and I have nothing to fill that space. I love that dog and I miss her terribly, but in order for me to get over the grieving process, I had to remove her spot. I still shed a tear thinking about her. I will eventually tell her story to you all at another time.
Well, onward to the whole feeling like I won the lottery....
My sense of humor is sarcastic based and I realized that getting a darn kitchen table is like winning the lottery. It has been almost 3 years and I tried my hardest to play my cards right. I gave subtle hints. I left catalogs out in the open for my husband to see on the page that displayed kitchen tables, I talked about how nice it would be to get a kitchen table. I even shopped around to find one I liked and that was really reasonable. I even got my mom in the game by having her even try to plant the idea in my husband's head.... I was like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, but it was not a Red Rider BB Gun I desired.
Fat chance, Nance, or so I thought.
Last night, I get a call from my husband. He finished work early and was on his way to the store to look for a Christmas gift for me. A GIFT FOR ME???? I almost fell over! He decides to share with me his dilemma... "What do you want for Christmas?" The shock of the thought made me sputter out the words..."Kitchen Table". The bigger shock was his reply... "Sure, where is one that you like that costs about $150.?"
Well..... Slap me silly and call me Shirley!! I recently found one at this store called Garden Ridge. It is the perfect size for my little kitchen and it is priced at $149.99! I tell him all about it (again, since I do drop hints) and he tells me he is on his way home to get my daughter and I to pick it up. I need to be totally honest.... I was doing the happy dance! I felt like I matched every number for the lottery. We picked up my table and put it together last night. This morning, when I got up, I walked into my kitchen and smiled. I finally have a kitchen table.....
Winning the lottery may give you riches, but the lottery I wanted to win gave me a thing I wanted for quite a while.... A kitchen table. So what if my thought process was off. I am different and I like it that way ;)
Thanks for reading...
Have a great day and a Merry Christmas!!
Woo Hoo!! I love your hints. I'd never pick up on that. With a guy your hints need to be like throw a kitchen table at his head. That might be the only thing that would work. We are guys after all. :)
ReplyDeleteYAY for a great gift. :)