my old rabbit coat
The guest columnist in Sunday's paper was a 45ish school teacher (most guest columnists seem to fit that description) who wrote about receiving a Hasbro Easy Bake Oven as a gift from her husband. She said that it had been on the list of things she had wanted in her youth, including a rabbit jacket and white go-go boots, that she had never received from her practical, Depression-era parents.
She explained how the little light-bulb-heated oven works, followed by her philosophical thoughts on the gift ....
Once the cakes are all eaten and the oven finally stored away to gather dust in some closeted corner, I'll still remember that my husband knew that sometimes the things we don't really need are what we need the most. That's been quite a tricky little piece of philosophy for me to swallow. On the surface, it sounds selfish and shallow. I ask myself, "Isn't our world already too full of 'stuff' we just don't need?"
Nonetheless, it rings true. Yes, I know that the moments in life which bring us the greatest joy are the intangible ones -- a child's smile, a baby's laugh, the company of loved ones. Those are the things that sustain us, that give our lives focus and purpose. It's just that I've decided that finding comfort and happiness in the tangible stuff is okay, too. |
