Giraffe Bliss!

So on our way home from buying the water heater yesterday I got a call from my brother and he tells me there’s a present waiting for me over at the local Pier1. Now he lives in Virginia so he bought this present there and they reserved it at our Pier1 and are holding it for me. We’ll have to get there by 5:30pm, he says, to pick it up. No problem, it’s only 3:45pm. It’s sort of inconvenient… just a little bit, to go there because my two daughters, son, and granddaughter are waiting for us at home. We’re going to decorate little canvas bags to sell at the church holiday boutique in a couple of weeks but – hmmm… a present… intriguing.

He doesn’t tell me what it is, it could be anything, my brother is so crazy. And Pier1, I hardly ever go there but I know it has all sorts of stuff. It could be something really cool or it could be something that I won’t know what to do with. My curiosity was getting more and more piqued and the more I thought about it, the more I decided that it was likely to be really cool! I couldn’t imagine, though, what kind of present it would be. I’ve really enjoyed cooking and baking lately; could it be something for that? Or some sort of serving stuff? Or would it be something goofy? Would it take up valuable space? Heaven knows I live in a tiny condo… really tiny, I don’t have much more room on my shelves for any “stand arounds.”

He said on the phone that if I didn’t like it I could just return it and use it as a gift certificate so that is promising too because he won’t be hurt if I think it’s goofy and annoying but what could it be? Again, my brother tends to be a little nutty.

So we get to the Pier1, finally (even though it only took about 15 minutes, time seems to stretch when you’re excited about something. We walked in and I asked for Kristen and told her that my brother said he had ordered a present for me here. She said, “Oh, the giraffe.”

Giraffe?

My brother knows I love giraffes… but what KIND of giraffe. I followed Kristen through the store noticing many different types of stuffed animals on display here and there. So maybe he ordered me a stuffed animal. That’d be nice. The ones on the side looked like pillows. That’s sort of cute… nothing special really, but certainly not objectionable. I kept following her. She led me to… to… a giraffe.. a GIRAFFE… this thing was over SIX FEET TALL… it looked like it was carved from wood and stood taller than my husband. The size of a baby giraffe this amazing piece of art was probably imported from Africa. You could almost hear the sound of drums and feel the long grass as you looked at it.

My first instinct was, “Oh, I can’t fit THIS in my place. I can’t take THIS home…” My answer to myself was, “Oh YES you can! NOTHING is going to stop you!” This thing was wonderful, amazing!! I fell it LOVE with it immediately. Never have I owned anything so remarkable. It is like having your own giraffe right in the house!

My husband thought I had lost my mind accepting it, but he just shook his head and then we went about the problem of trying to get it home. He had to put it in the back seat with it’s beautiful giraffe neck and head thrust out the car window because it is so tall it wouldn’t fit any other way. I literally prayed to God that He would keep it safe and not let some spud drive close and lop off the poor giraffe’s head. Amazingly we made it home.

The proud giraffe now stands beautifully next to my couch, where I actually slept last night so I could look at it. I stood it in profile where it is backed by the balcony window. Its lines are so curved and graceful, serene and lovely. It seems to have a small smile, but if you look at it from the other side, it almost has a tear. It’s very African and tribal. When I get a chance, I’ll take a digital picture and post it but I just know the picture won’t do it justice.

As it turns out, I don’t think it really is made out of wood, maybe it’s some sort of thick sturdy, paper mache type substance because it’s very light. I told my brother if I ever become homeless and lose all my stuff, they will find me wandering the alleys with my giraffe clutched to me because I won’t give THAT up! It is light weight enough to carry it around.

What a wonderful present! I’ve never had anything quite like it and I don’t think I ever will. It is completely delightful, eccentric, remarkable and captivating. I am thrilled with it!