A trip to heaven (A.K.A. the dollar store)

I was at the dollar store yesterday with someone I was supporting. She's only allowed to 'window shop' with all but one of her staff. We had some time to kill so we 'window shopped for quite sometime ... in the dollar store.

The dollar store is an amazing place. It has EVERYTHING that you could ever want.

Seeing as we had more time than we really needed (I wish I felt that I had that problem), we went down every single aisle. It was wonderful.

I tried to spy every little trinket and item there was. I picked up something every once in a while. Sometimes to figure out what exactly it was and other times just to get the feeling that I was going to buy something (sometimes I pick something up and walk around with it as if I'm going to buy it and then just put it back at the end - just cause I like the feeling of having something).

HAlf way through our time there I spotted a mini tupperware container with a mini ice cream swirly cone, vanilla dipped and strawberry dipped donuts and a mini slice of vanilla, chocolate cake with 2 strawberries on top. They were all so cute! I held it in my hand for a moment then reprimanded myself for even thinking about using my debit card for a $1 purchase of mini treat erasers and then I put it down.

I continued on my trip around the store and saw school teacher encouragement stickers (I mean, for the students). They were like 'Way to go!' 'A+' 'Great Effort' (who ever wants that one?) and 'Excellent'. They looked like they were sketched by a kid, very cute as well.

I thought about how Glo told me once that she uses a chart with reinforcement stickers on it to help her eat well and exercise. She uses hearts for when she exercises and little farm animals for when she eats right (yes she's cute too).

I thought to myself 'Maybe I need a reinforcement calender to help me do better in those areas. Maybe I need these stickers.' So I picked them up and held them while I walked on.

Next I came to one of my new favourite inventions: dry erase markers.

I LOVE these!!!!

A few weeks ago I asked Wally for one and decided they'd be great fun to keep in our not yet decorated main bathroom to draw on the mirror with. I've since decided it's the best idea I'd had in years.

Yes I realize probably someone else has thought of this a dozen times over but it's a first thought for me. We've since added a couple of extra markers and have enjoyed getting notes from our guests that visit the loo.

Beside the markers was an actual white board. Hmmmmm .... I thought. Maybe I should buy one of those - it is only a dollar (actually 2 - inflation sucks).

I picked up the white board feeling for some reason that this 8 1/2 by 11 piece of material would somehow change my life significantly and off I went to now feel justified in buying the mini eraser set that was too cute to leave behind. (I also grabbed a weird squishy bright green spiky thingamajig that I've wanted to get for years but would never justify, just because he's silly and fun).

I'm sitting beside my empty white board and new markers with handy erasers on the ends. I have my stickers all ready for me to do something worth the words 'Great Job!'.

I have the tools.

Now I just need to do something with them.

Isn't that often the challenge. You think 'If only I had ___________, I'd be able to do great things, or accomplish my goal' If only.

I think more often than not we have everything we need we just aren't sure how to get started.

I feel that way right now.

Ya know what I'm gonna do?

I'm gonna play with the silly green thingamajig and write something barely profound on my white board in hopes that inspiration strikes.

Or at least something funny. I do like a laugh.

Moral of the story: go to the dollar store and buy 5 things for no reason that make you happy. Maybe it's farting putting, or green goo. Maybe it's the cigarette smoke sucker that you've wondered if it really worked (even though you don't smoke). Perhaps you just want a place mat with the human skeleton on it to learn all the fancy names of bones.

Whatever it is... splurg. It's only a dollar (or two depending on how badly that dollar store has been hit by the economy).