The trip to the newsagency

I went looking for a 21^st card at the local newsagency on the weekend. I wanted something girly and feminine that was also tasteful.  My newsagency has a large range, so the range wasn’t the problem it was the pictures on the front of the cards.  For both males and females, most 21^st cards had a picture of champagne glasses, bottle of bubbly or a 21^st key—none of these were suitable (and I found none that I even remotely liked).  I wasn’t impressed with the toilet jokes either.  And those cards that would have been considered “more girly” had pictures of skimpy dresses, shoes or handbags—but not what I would call feminine or even pretty.  I then looked at none 21^st cards and found some beautiful ones with flowers—but—as a woman who has received many “flower” cards, I thought my niece was too young to start receiving cards with flowers (she will receive many in the future) so I left the store empty handed.

I was very disappointed indeed.  I will have one more look and if I can’t find anything I will just have to make one myself.

As a result the card hasn’t been bought yet and her birthday was yesterday—so dear niece, I haven’t forgotten you and HAPPY 21^ST.  

Whilst in the newsagency I witness something else that just blew me away (and not in a nice way)—a customer handed over $1000 (Aus/USA) (I knew this as the young girl behind the counter said it out loud to another staff member) to buy LOTTERY TICKETS.  I stood there dumbfounded and walked away in shock.  I thought of all the people who would love $1 000 or even $500 —and imagined how overjoyed they would be with the money and how they would have used it for good and not evil.  

Only the other day I read a blog about the cost of groceries and how stressful it can be for some families doing it tough—$1 000 would buy a lot of groceries and keep a number of families feed for a week or two. 

It made me really sad and rather cross.

Have you ever gone into the newsagency on the day before a big lotto draw—I am often amazed at the long queres of people waiting to buy that “golden” ticket—dreaming of what they “might” spend their new millions on.  The amount of money spent on lotto is staggering—I find it really sad.

~oOo~