Heidi Fest Pt 1- The Gift of Freedom

Last night-Heidi Fest Pt 1: The Gift of Freedom, was an evening out on the town to do with as I wished. The night kicked off with a pedicure! yea! I spent the first hour and 15 minutes having my feet soaked, scrubbed, buffed and polished. I was nearly asleep by the time they told me that I wasn’t to wear socks or shoes for the next 2 HOURS!!! –what! no socks or shoes for 2 hours! isn’t that something they should mention when you book a pedicure! for all of us novices (there are others out there too I’m sure!) a little preamble during the booking would have been nice (but less funny in the long run I suppose).

I had planned on doing some Christmas shopping, get a Starbucks etc. as it was my evening of freedom. Shopping without 2 small babies hanging on you, needing diaper changes etc. can be quite enjoyable. Now I was left to shuffle through the mall in flimsy spa flip flops sporting beautifully manicured Burgundy red piggies in the dead of winter with a winter coat and scarf on, Starbucks in hand. Perhaps I needed a touch more humility before 30? Perhaps it’s a sign that I really am getting older when I don’t head home or cower in a corner. Perhaps it is a sign I am cheap when the cost of the pedicure keeps me from just putting my shoes on and risking the paint job outweighing any possible embarrassment.

Ahh I did get a few stares, but had a great time, wandering around, stopping to chat with everyone I knew–and yes they were all out last night–with little care for the time, or the needs of anyone else, accomplishing little on the Christmas list or otherwise but not responsible for anyone but myself. Blissfully happy and at the same time overly aware that my two little dollies were home in bed, thinking of their beautiful faces, seeing babies and thinking of mine…ah children, how they change your outlook on everything.

I arrived home, spread out this years accumulated Christmas cheer on the floor and Chad and I wrapped the Moncton bound gifts to take with us this weekend. We talked about Christmas and gift giving, the trap of buying for your children, the fight to stay out of the madness and large pricetags. While out, I was in the line at Toys R Us and the lady in front of me was asked by the cashier if she wanted to donate $1 to the charity represented. The customer proceeded to go on a rant about the need to take care of ones own first (hundreds of dollars in video games were her purchase) to which the cashier agreed and said with things as tight as they are, no one should be expected to give to other things as well. I was overwhelmed at how wrong we have it.

I’m headed to Haiti in January and have been thinking about what I’d like to bring our sponsor child Michaela when I meet her. She is 4. She loves art, so I thought some art supplies were an obvious choice, but I also really wanted to give her a baby doll. I know how much Zoë loves hers and Zoë has so many, and Michaela probably doesn’t have one. How many other children don’t even have one doll, stuffed animal or special toy and my children can’t even count all of theirs, and wouldn’t miss half of them. But yet, when I am at home, with the Christmas loot all spread out on the floor to see, I see how little we’ve bought our daughters, who have everything they could possibly need, and I am still affected by the materialism with which we live. Maybe I need to run out and buy Eliya an…. do you think Zoë would like a…..Take care of our own first! our own are so well taken care of we don’t have any idea what that statement even means. We can show love in so many ways, isn’t that the point?

Despite this emotional thinking process, my evening was wonderful. Super bonus, the girls both slept through the night and until 7:30am!!

I am blessed!

~H