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‘One must enjoy the little things in life,’ I try to tell myself often.
I went to my local coffee shop this morning to grab a pastry & a cup of coffee. This was printed on the back of my to-go bag. It really made me smile, & it made my day.
I genuinely enjoy watching the movie You’ve Got Mail with the actors Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan.
I’m not really a big fan of “chick flicks” or Romantic Comedy movies, but there are a few that I enjoy every now & again. You’ve Got Mail is one of those such movies that I like to watch. It’s a pretty outdated film, focusing on dial-up modems, the AOL running man logo, & that ringing email chime. Also, who can forget the start of instant messaging (a.k.a. AIM)?? Those were the days before iMessage and MacBooks.
This movie is charming. I like the idea of chatting up your love-interest/soul-mate through letters (electronic or other), getting to know each other deeply through careful, heartfelt words written without inhibition. It brings me back to when I was dating my husband. I used to send him handwritten letters at least once a week. He didn’t really have interest in the girly stationery or stickers I put on them, but he loved reading my letters. He kept all of my letters. I stopped writing him letters, but every once in a while I still write him notes & leave it on his nightstand table for him to read. He still loves reading my letters. I still love writing them, especially decorating them…even if he doesn’t much care for the stickers.
I was changing my wallet today; I wanted to reuse one of my old wallets. As I was pulling out my old wallet, it felt a bit thick for being “empty”. To my surprise I found a stack of cards stashed away inside (eg. various business cards & store point punch cards). This was the biggest surprise of all! Many great memories came flooding back as I was sorting through these punch cards.
Ever since I was a small child up until my early twenties, I used to shop at my local Sanrio™ shop probably once or twice a month or so. (It got worse when I was able to drive a car.) Each time you made a purchase of a certain dollar amount or more, you would get your point card stamped. Then, when you filled up your card(s), you were able to redeem them for prizes. The more point cards you accumulated, the bigger (for lack of a better word) the prize you could get. I would save all of my cards each time to get the highest point value prize. I was probably saving these cards for something special I wanted…which is of no use now, since Sanrio™ has discontinued their point card program for quite a few years already.
Not only do these point cards bring up memories of the times I used to regularly shop at this store, but it also triggers memories of the wonderful times spent working there as well. Yes, I used to work at my local Sanrio™ shop. One of the greatest memories I have of that shop was the day I was invited to work there. The shop manager kept noticing me every time I shopped there. So, one day she approached me & told me that I should just work there since I would visit often enough, & I would get a sweet employee discount. That sealed the deal for me. I ended up working there for approximately four years, made lots of fun friends, learned how to appreciate everybody working in the retail industry right down to the “little guys” behind the cash register & taking out the trash. I had so much fun working at that place. I even got a big compliment from our regional manager for having an overly-obsessive knowledge of all things Hello Kitty & Sanrio.
Those times have long since come & gone. The shop I once worked at has changed ownership & management, moved to a new location, & now looks completely unrecognizeable. A new shop has taken up our old location within the shopping mall. However, the memories still remain each time I walk past that storefront. Those surely were the good ol’ days. Cheers.
Rabbits & Foxes 