Let's try again!

So after an almost 8 month hiatus and many things happening inbetween I've come back from a month long trip to the motherland with my kids to see family and am now feeling refreshed and re-energized.  I want to stay feeling this way (I don't expect every day to be great but I can change my attitude and focus to make things easier) and have started to make changes to keep this good feeling going.  One of the changes has been coming off of facebook.  I was wasting so much time on it doing nothing and not strengthening any relationships really, just reading what people were writing, that I decided I wanted to use my time better.  I want to put the effort into my relationships and facebook was not the way.  So back to the blog for those I love near and far to see what our family is doing (inbetween the phone calls and emails and letters.  I LOVE snail mail!)

So for my first post I want to share a story from when I was in England.  In the town where my parents live there is a zoo so the kids and I bought a year pass.  It made sense, if we went to the zoo three times during our visit we'd earned the money for the pass back and then subsequent visits were free!  We went four times!  As I was leaving the zoo one time a lady walked pass and stopped to ask where I'd bought my nappy (diaper) bag.  It was a green and brown one with a monkey on it and a pattern with jungle animals.  This is how the conversation went:

Lady: "Excuse me, where did you get your bag from?"
Me: "Actually, in the US from Walmart, a real bargin."
Lady: "Oh figures, the nice stuff is never from here!"
Me (before I realise what's happening): "Do you want it?"
Lady: "I can't take your bag!"
Me: "Sure you can, all I carry in it are nappies, it's not a big deal and I'm going home to Canada next week anyway so I can always find another if I have to."
Lady: "Well let me give you something for it then, I can't believe because I like it you're going to give it to me!"
Me (in shock but excited.  I can just hope I'm showing kindness to someone, a passing it forward after all the wonderful things people do for us!): "Seriously it's fine."
Lady: "Here all I've got is a fiver but take it.  Thank you, my little boy loves animals we come to the zoo every week!"
Me: "I'm not taking your money, I don't need it seriously."
Lady: "I have to give you something, here please.  Thank you so much!"
Me: "No problem enjoy it!"