Gifts From Cyber Space

 Cyber friends are wonderful people who you may never meet, but who often go out of their way to do nice things for you.  Over the years I've had them send me a multitude of things, mainly just because they had something they thought I'd like.

I get wonderful cards at Christmas and sometimes even my birthday. I've received everything from specialty tea bags to a camera lens in the mail over the years. I've had people pass me software after they upgraded to a newer version. Last year a lovely lady I had never met in person before, drove well out of her way during a trip to drop off a couple of discs at my place.  She could have saved a lot of time and gas by just mailing them, but it was
so wonderful to meet  her, her hubby and her dogs, even if they couldn't stay for a visit.

Most recently I received a package all the way from Turkey.  It contained a calendar, two bookmarks and two magnets, all of which had cat designs on them. What a treat. The artist is Ayse Saray, and I met her in a photography forum.

People often say that cyber friends are not "real friends" but they are wrong. They are very supportive, encouraging, entertaining and just plain wonderful. If I ask for help, I get it. If I ask for nothing, I get gifts. That's one of the reasons I signed on to the Pay it Forward initiative this year. I want to send out some surprises to a few people myself. I have a list of five names to start with and I'm already thinking of things I could send them. I'm going to have fun with this.  Nobody will know what's coming or when.

The Universe is Out to Get Me!

When I was young I was a pessimist. I operated under the theory that I’d never be disappointed if I always expected the worst. I could only get some pleasant surprises instead. I may have to go back to that way of thinking as I’m finding that the universe always seems to hear me when I have a positive experience and start thinking happy thoughts. It throws a monkey wrench into the works and screws everything up just to teach me a lesson.

For instance, when I was learning to cross country ski, every time I thought I was getting the hang of it, I’d instantly land on my backside. It’s like I was being told not to get overconfident. When I was learning tai chi and really started to get serious about it, I fell on a flight of stairs and tore all the soft tissue in my foot. If I find $20 in a pocket, suddenly I need something that requires that I spend that $20.

I should know better by now!

Friday I decided there was some extra money in my chequing account that I wouldn’t be needing in the near future so I moved it to my bonus account. That activated the universe pretty quickly.  The powers that be came out to grab that loot. 

By that evening my hubby had somehow broken a tooth. It needed emergency care, which, of course, costs more. He got it pulled out on Saturday. And our vehicle suddenly needed a wheel bearing. By Monday, somehow my hubby had another tooth that a piece broke off, so he has to go back to the dentist again. If they can’t fix this one, it will also mean a trip to the denturist, as his partial plate attaches to this particular tooth. And as if what I had put away wasn’t already spent by all this, when I went down to the basement just before supper tonight, I found water on the floor. The hot water tank is leaking. Lovely. One day I’m happy to have a bit of extra money, and within a few days, it’s not only all gone, but I’m now in the hole. What’s next? Enough already!

Yep, I’m going back to being a pessimist again. Expect the worst and if it doesn’t happen, I’ll be in a lot better shape than I am now. At least that would be a pleasant surprise!