"My New Buddy"

I came downstairs after several hours of hitting the books (I’ve been studying for the Cali bar exam) and saw a lovely, plush, soft golden teddy bear, with floppy doglike ears sitting on our rotating stool chairs in the kitchen. I felt compelled to pick it up with love and hug it close to me as I felt the gentle stuffed animal’s fur. Wondering exactly who it was for, thinking that it must be for a baby within our community of family friends, I ran over to my (older) nephew, and before I could say anything, he said, “hey did you see that little teddy bear there?” After I said, “yes,” he said it was for me. In that moment, the little girl trapped inside a 28-year old leaped with joy! I was so excited that I awkwardly hugged my nephew and seeing that I had one more round of studying to go, I decided that this precious little animal, that I just named, “pooky” could make the whole process a little softer….Since I planned to study the last hour in a café, I carried my new friend with me, safely buckled him with a seatbelt, in my Honda civic passenger seat, and blazed off to coffee society with a smile! It felt good to embrace the kid within! LOL!

A Gift of Gratitude

So I got my bills for the month, and you know what that usually feels like. I just first look at them sitting on my counter and pretend they don’t exist. I leave them sealed in the envelope, untouched and abandoned. Yet, I still mentally keep track of when they most likely will be due, so I don’t incur a late fee and compound the problem. So, today became the day I would pay my therapy bill since I was going to see my therapist. Instead of quickly scribbling down the check amount after analyzing the itemized break down of his billing rates to make sure there were no financial errors, I rushed out my open front door into change. While I still was in a hurry to make it to my 6:00 pm appointment in downtown Palo Alto, I was hurrying to reach something new…Inspired by the spirit of those karma kitchen cooks, I wrote the check for my therapist, but this time, I tacked an extra little hundred onto the payment, tucked the check into an envelope, left it with him after my appointment, and ran off, leaving him with a gift. The gift was not about the money, but the gratitude I felt for his sincerity in helping me improve how I live my life.

That, to me, is priceless. :)