a lesson on generosity and zipping up your pockets

Remember THIS ride?   Yeah, well about a month ago my brother Noah and his family came in from NYC for the weekend, and Eli was here too so we had to go to the Revere Carnival….it’s tradition after all.  And of course, we headed right to the Freak Out.  And, luckily, John (a whole other slightly scandalous story) was there running it and asked if we all wanted to ride for free….and of course we did….and of course we had the time of our lives.  Seriously, that ride is so incredibly fun.  It’s smooth and high and fast and gives you that glorious feeling of your stomach dropping inside of you, over and over and over mixed with a smooth sort of dizzy feeling.  I love it.  In fact, I think I could easily get addicted to it.

After taking the kids on a few rides Eli and I decided to ride one more time while the others loaded up.  John let us ride.  I smiled and screamed, Eli videoed, I felt elated and satisfied…..until, when the ride was over, John walked up to me with a totally demolished Iphone.  At first I was confused, why was he showing me this.  Then I realized it was mine and wondered how he got it and why it was totally smashed and cracked open.  Then it all came together.  It was mine, and it had flown out of my unzipped pocket at tremendous speed, and, according to John it had hit HARD. 

I was shocked and devastated.  That dumb phone has been so darn helpful that I couldn’t stand not having it……anyone who has one will know that once you have it you can’t very easily go back to your old flip phone from 2002.  I griped to Jeff on the way home about how I didn’t think I could possibly afford to buy another one.  “What would I do….blah blah blah?”

About 5 minutes after returning home sweet little Hazel came up to me with a little zip lock bag full of nickels and dimes and quarters…all the money she had been diligently earning and saving to buy a magnetic dress up doll she’s desperately in need of.  Three whole dollars.  With tears in her eyes she handed it to me….not reluctantly but with great conviction, and told me it was to help me buy a new Iphone. 

That moment was worth busting that dumb phone.

The next week Hazel and I went together to the Apple store.  The replacement phone cost a little more the three dollars but (but not as much as I thought it might) and the guy at the genius bar was quite moved by this little girls generosity. 

I could tell it made Hazel happy to give like that too.  She has a pure little heart. 

If you do ride the Freak Out (and you should), be sure to zip your pockets.