Even though I’ve written before about the lunacy of rewards cards and programs, a few months ago I signed up to get rewards at one of the chains where I buy Hannah’s dog food. It seemed like a good idea since I buy dog food at least every six weeks and it stands to reason that at some point I might earn some type of reward to offset what I spend on food.
Naturally, that meant I had to provide an email address so they could tell me about all the fabulous deals that were available and that’s when things got a little weird. It wasn’t a surprise to start getting emails every day, urging me to sign up for home delivery – strictly for my convenience, of course – and I knew they would send me lots of special offers.
What I didn’t expect was this . . .
Followed a week later by this . . .
This is what Hannah does to stuffed animals . . .
It’s a duck, okay?
This was a ‘stuffie’ I’d made out of a plastic bottle and an orphaned sock. If there is a squeaker in the toy, it’s done for in a matter of moments. Even toys labeled indestructible last only a matter of minutes before they are ripped to shreds, their stuffing tossed around the room.
It’s not that I’m not a fan of Star Wars – I’ve seen all the old ones and will likely see the new one at some point. No doubt there are other dogs out there that don’t destroy their toys the same way that Hannah does, but I still can’t fathom purchasing a collectable toy or other movie tie in items for my pet. Would I have to tell her it’s just to look at and not to touch? Would she understand the significance of it being a collectable toy and treat it differently? It seems unlikely.
There are days when I can barely wrap my brain around the things we value and the things we bring into our homes and lives. There is a place for well curated items that are beautiful and items that are practical and useful. Here’s the question to ask yourself – how many favorite things can you truly have? Is it possible to love every piece in your Kewpie doll collection? Every shot glass you acquired as you traveled across the country? Every turtle someone gave you over the years because you once mentioned you liked them and everyone jumped on the bandwagon at gift giving occasions?
Often times people will say that certain items bring back memories and while I believe that it’s true that an item can jog a memory, that memory remains independent of the object. There is also comfort in having familiar things, things that make a house feel like home, but isn’t it the presence of the people there that truly make it a home?
The opportunity to purchase these fabulous items has likely passed – after all, supplies were very limited and those emails came a couple of weeks ago. Let’s hope that Hannah doesn’t hold it against me and will be satisfied with having a plain non-collectable tennis ball.