Simply put, one of the great things about being on vacation is that you get to do things you don’t usually get the opportunity to do. I mean things like sleeping late, taking naps, watching cable television, just not having to adhere to a strict schedule. I believe that success has as much to do with what you don’t do, as with what you do.
Being on vacation also means that you get the opportunity to spend money; to “buy things” you wouldn’t ordinarily be tempted to buy.
Perhaps the greatest “draw” of vacation, being able to just rest aside, is the opportunity to make dreams come true. Things you’ve always dreamt of doing, or seeing, or experiencing. And, yes … sometimes this translates into buying something you never thought you’d ever have …
Well … here goes … I wonder if there is anyone who, as a child, wanted something for Christmas … something, often, the only thing they ever, ever wanted for Christmas … every year, this one thing was all they wanted … and, they were so sure that “this year was going to be the year” … and … they never got it … never … ever … you were so sure that “this was going to be it” … and, it never came …
For me, it was just one thing: “Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots.” Always wanted … always hoped for … never got. Everyone who knew me, knew this was “it.” Carol knows this as much as I … So many years later … I still recall how I wanted … how I hoped for … “Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots.” From Mattel. They were, after all, “The Original Fighting Robots!”
Growing up, I was a big boxing (and wrestling) fan. Loved sports … especially those two, because these were the two sports we were able to watch when I was growing up. It was also a very “hands-on” toy … but, seemed to be more skill than toy … It was one-on-one, just you and the opponent, and the best man would win … Your size didn’t seem to matter, only your skill … each seemed just as capable to “Knock His Block Off!”
We were visiting what was touted as “The Largest Antique Mall on the East Coast.” For whatever reason, these many, many years later, I had this wild idea that I would look for “Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots,” as, after all, they were antiques … and, after all … we were on vacation …
This store seemed endless. Undoubtedly, the largest store of its kind I had ever been in. All of a sudden, as I rounded a corner, I came face to face with “Them.” Was it fate? Is this a dream? No, there, in front of my very eyes, were “Red Rocker” and “Blue Bomber.” Out of the box … in the ring … directly in front of me … stood the “Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots!” Please note that I had seen them … faced them … beaten them both … in my dreams … but, this was the first time in my life that I had ever seen, in person, “The Original Fighting Robots!”
Nervously, I scanned the surroundings to see if anyone was looking … we were alone … just the Robots, the Ring, and I … my hands anxiously reached for the controls … and there, in the far confines of this Antique Mall … my hands touched, for the first time … the “control sticks” of my dream-come-true … I was overcome with emotion … and, guilt … I don’t like to spend anything on myself, and this is a “toy” … my hands moved down to the string, on which the price-tag was attached … This was within “my limit,” I reasoned … and, after all, we are on vacation … Believe it or not, even for a “dream purchase” such as this, I had set a limit on what I was willing to spend … in the almost impossible likelihood that I would somehow stumble upon such a prize …
What I didn’t know at the time was this: In the exact same store … in a separate location … Carol was also contemplating a purchase … something that she had always wanted … something that she has only dreamed about … but has, for her entire life, eluded her … Her very own … complete … matching … dish set …
Please keep in mind that we have dishes. A lot of dishes. And, such a variety of both plates, bowls, and cups. As someone who is perfectly content with paper plates, the fact that all of our dishes do not all match has never really bothered me. Ever. In fact, I never noticed that they didn’t match. We have plates. We have cups. We have saucers. We have bowls. The fact that they have different designs, some are glass and some are ceramic (I think), etc., has not once ruined a meal for me. Ever.
However … it was the way which she said that she had never had one … but always dreamed of having one … that I heard … I know she had a limit of how much to spend to realize this dream, but, looking into her eyes as she held part of the set … my limit came off … Especially, as I stood there, hunched over the shopping cart, protecting my own “dream” investment of Ring, Rocker, and Bomber.
As we traveled, the first time we had to move from our lodging, I carefully placed my Dream Purchase behind the drivers’ seat in the truck …on top, without any covering … I have only just now realized that the box which I placed the “Robots” on was the box which contained the dish set … Afterwards, I put a pillow underneath the ring … to protect the dish set, of course …
We traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles, including book promotions. They never moved!
Think about this: What better protection for your prized dish set than “Red Rocker” and “Blue Bomber.”
Funny … I didn’t get a single picture of the dish set!
I looked on line to make sure I had the correct spelling of “Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots.”
I found this picture, on eBay, which I wanted to share with our friends. How about this!
Blessings from the road!
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