Next weekend, I am going to a baby shower. I don't often attend baby showers because ... well, because for a girl who can't have a baby of her own, showers are a bit too much like torture. You know, like ripping out your heart and crushing it and twisting it and wringing it and squishing it really hard and then swallowing it again where it sticks like a big lump in your throat while other girls giggle over tiny shoes and handmade blankets. It hurts, and it is not fun. So, in the past, in the name of self-preservation, I have skipped out on a few.
BUT, I have been realizing lately, there is a problem with skipping. Although it might seem smart to protect oneself from heart-wringing situations, I have regularly and purposefully missed some really special occasions with friends. I have missed being a part of something important to them. I am ashamed to say that I skipped thinking mostly of myself. Sadly, too, in the long run, my self-centered hasn't done me any good either. In fact, I end up mourning the loss of two things. One, no babies of my own, and two, fewer precious celebrations with friends. The second being a completely self-inflicted loss, and what is the point of that? So, all that to say, I have decided to make a little change, and I am gonna try to live outside myself just a little next Saturday and attend a baby shower.
RSVP affirmative!
The Onesie Adventure Begins!
Now, at this particular baby shower there is going to be a "cutest onesie contest." Maybe this is something that has been going on for years in the baby shower circuit, and I have just been out of the loop? I am not sure, but please bear with me if this is old-hat to you. All the guests are supposed to bring a onesie, handmade or store-bought (but extra special either way), hang it on a clothes-line, and whichever onesie the mommy-to-be likes best, wins! So sweet and fun!
Eager to jump back into the baby shower arena and WIN, I scoured Etsy for an especially cute onesie, gave the seller my address, and placed my order with confidence - I am so gonna win this contest! Completely refocusing my baby shower angst onto the contest? Yah, maybe just a little. Still, I strutted over my clever plan until - DISASTER! It struck me like a thunderbolt two days AFTER the seller had shipped the onesie ... I had given the seller my current address but paid with Paypal! Dern it all, didn't Paypal still have our old address in its brain? Drat! It did! And following the money, the seller sent the onesie to our old address. Nerds!
Still, I was able to track the package online, and knew, therefore, exactly when it would be delivered to our old apartment. Of course, dumb me, I didn't actually check to see that the package had been delivered until 9 p.m. Wednesday night. Let me tell you, nine o'clock is bedtime around here, folks. I was pulling on my jammies, grrring at myself for forgetting to edit that old address, cursing Paypal, making snarky comments about the postal system, wondering how in the world I was gonna get that onesie, when it struck me - IDEA!
"HANDSOME, I HAVE AN IDEA!!! Let's go see if the package is on the doorstep of our old place! Or knock on the door and say, 'Hand it over! And no one gets hurt!' Or something like that."
Crazily enough, he agreed, we hopped into the car and jetted 25 miles south towards the heart of Los Angeles.
When we arrived at the old apartment-stead, I sorta realized that if the package addressed to me wasn't on the doorstep, it was gonna take some fairly sweet-faced, I'm not crazy, please let me see your pile of mail convincing to assure whoever answered the door that it would be safe to hand over the goods.
Well, the onesie package was not on the doorstep, and I had to knock ... and guess what? The person on the other side of the door did NOT open it all the way ... at first. But, never fear, I brought him around with the above mentioned really, I'm not crazy sort of friendliness (that is to say, I talked as fast as I possibly could to explain the situation which probably, in hindsight, only convinced the poor guy that I am crackers - after all, who goes on late night onesie chases?), and I got my onesie!
Now, you are probably wondering, "that's it? that's the story?" Well, see, here is the thing that was so funny. As it turns out, the guy who moved into our old place is an artist for Disney, he just moved into town (there was a note from his mom and dad on the fridge that said, "we love you - mom and dad" - how sweet is that?!), and his name is Ryan William Something-or-'nother. Didn't quite get his last name because I was so shocked by his first and middle. He was happy to give me the onesie and a few other pieces of mail addressed to my Ryan, eh-hem, Handsome. Isn't it so strange that someone with such a similar name, working in the same industry, lives in our old place? I thought so too!
But the real Real REAL reason that I tell you this entire story from top to bottom is to tell you what occurred to me as I stood in that old apartment's entryway. THAT PLACE IS TINY! TEE-NINEY! I could not believe that I hadn't remembered it better. No wonder our new home felt so big when we first moved in. That evening it struck me all over again just how good God has been to us. He has given us such a wonderful home! And much much more and I'm so thankful.
You know, I loved that apartment when we lived there, but that night of the onesie adventure, the complex had been awfully noisy (and I had remembered it being quiet compared to other places we had lived), lights were blasting-bright everywhere, traffic rushed by at 10:30 p.m., and the apartment wasn't as big as a minute. I think it was really really good for me to be reminded of all the wonderful blessings wrapped up in my home ... the ones that I am terribly sorry to say that I have been taking for granted - already.
If I hadn't decided to go to the baby shower, I wouldn't have ordered the onesie, if I hadn't have ordered the onesie, we wouldn't have knocked on our old apartment door, and if we wouldn't have knocked, I wouldn't have seen our old place, and if I hadn't seen, then now, I wouldn't have a heart so overwhelmed by God's goodness.
When at the baby shower next week, I may not have everything I want, but I am convinced that I have no reason to be crushed. In fact, He has already given me more than I deserve or could wish for - it's a good time to be reminded of that.
So, that is onesie adventure - thus far - and it seems to me that big things can come from little changes. I'll let you know how the shower goes.
*Note to selves... go update your Paypal address if needed.
I'm a blog stalker and I love to read yours. You always make me smile!
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