Treat Yourself (By Treating Your Friends)

In my early twenties, I got my first job, moved out of the family home, and started taking night classes at the local tech college. Working part-time for minimum wage didn’t actually pay enough to live on, but my parents very generously agreed to pay half my rent, pay all of my school fees (I did get financial aid, but it didn’t cover everything), and give me a food allowance so long as I kept my grades up. I got by, but it was a no-frills existence. My one “non-essential” was my cat — who was absolutely “essential” so far as I was concerned.

My birthday came around, and I invited a couple of friends over to celebrate. They surprised me by taking me out for a surprise treat. The surprise? We pulled into a grocery store parking lot and went inside, and they put a buggy in front of me and told me to go wild. I didn’t understand what they meant at first.

Eventually, they explained that they were gonna buy me a buggy full of groceries. Anything in the store I wanted that’d fit in that buggy, they’d pay for. I was happy and shocked. We had fun going down every aisle, picking out foodstuff I’d never tried before because they were expensive, and being kinda goofy. My friends even convinced me to buy some bakeware and utensils. And, of course, I stocked up on kitty supplies. It was not a cheap trip. I ate very well that month, as did my cat.

I don’t think I fully expressed how blown away I was by their generosity at the time. I didn’t know how. But when I think back to the night of the surprise birthday grocery trip, I feel warm fuzzies and know that true friends are awesome.