Prizes

Today I went to a dinner/gift auction. If you have never been to a gift auction, let me explain. There are an assortment of gifts, each gift has a bag and description. You buy tickets and can put any amount of tickets into any bag. Then a ticket is pulled from the bag and, if you're lucky, you win. It's a lot of fun.

There was a lovely assortment of gifts - gift certificates, boat rides, tickets to shows or sports events, housewares, etc. I had made my selections and had one ticket left when I saw a book on America, along with a blue furniture throw. I threw my ticket into the bag and then proceeded to read the full description of the prize. It also included a mission style chair, which I really didn't want and have no use for it.

All evening, I promised my friend that if I won, she could have the chair. Of course, out of all the prizes I wanted, this was the only prize I won. Then came the problem. There were four of us in the car, so on a rainy night we struggled to put the chair into my friend's car, along with the many prizes she won. Another friend volunteered her trunk since she also had four in her car. It still didn't fit. Finally, a neighbor volunteered his trunk, but it still didn't fit. Fortunately, he came alone and had room in the back seat for the chair.

The lesson I learned from this - read everything before you commit. When I realized I had put the ticket in for a gift I really didn't want, I thought about taking it out, but I thought that would be tacky. If only I had read the description more fully. But I do have a new book.