July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Attention worth more than gold

As I See It

By Diana Dolecki-

Mermaids are elusive creatures. I have been searching for one for several weeks. I looked in all the usual places. I even looked in unusual places to no avail.

Mermaids live in the sea and there are no seas around my home. They have been around for a very long time and even good old Pliny the Elder believed in them according to his Natural History written in 77 AD.

Christopher Columbus wrote of seeing three mermaids. The scientific explanation is that he saw manatee. I suppose one would have to be at sea for a very long time to think a manatee looked anything like the alluring creature a mermaid is said to be.

We all know the story of the Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. Thanks to Disney she has acquired the name Ariel and also wears a purple bikini top. Most mermaids don't bother with a bra but I guess that was a little too risque for Disney. Children, on the other hand, are too innocent to think anything naughty about bare breasts.

Granddaughter Emma loves mermaids. They are second only to the princesses. When her father took her to the zoo she was disappointed that there weren't any mermaids there.

That is because the creatures were vacationing at a water park that her mother took her to several weeks later. Not only were there mermaids at the water park, there was also a mermaid king. Emma was enchanted by them all.

So when I found a 99¢ toy mermaid I picked it up and shipped it off to Texas. Emma loved it, until . . . it was eaten by the dog. I am puzzled as to how this happened as the dog is a dachshund and a miniature one at that. Emma requested that I send another one.

This would have been simple except that I couldn't remember where I had gotten it. It wasn't at Target. It wasn't at the bookstore. It wasn't anywhere I usually shop. I even looked on the internet. No luck.

Every time I talked to Emma she asked that I send another mermaid. Somehow she couldn't understand that I couldn't find one.

Finally I happened to stop at Hobby Lobby in Muncie. As I was preparing to pay for my purchases I spied an entire rack of mermaids! I felt like I had won the lottery. I bought three just in case the dog got hungry again. I considered getting something for Jacob but decided since his age is still measured in months that he was too little for cheap toys.

As I write this the mermaid is on its way to Texas and I am looking forward to a phone call saying it arrived safely.

It is always surprising to find out which things are considered precious. The mermaid cost less than a dollar. The first one was picked up on a whim. The second was found after a long and desperate search. The postage to send it to Texas was more than the toy itself.

I have sent books that cost far more than that did. I have sent clothes and many other assorted items. It is the mermaid she remembers.

People often surprise us by what they hold precious. The fact that I listened to what Emma wanted is worth more than a 99¢ toy. Attention is worth far more than silver or gold.

After all, isn't being heard and having our opinions valued what we all desire? If someone disagrees with us, don't we value them more highly if they will listen to our side of the issue?

The search for a mermaid wasn't about a toy, it was about providing something that a little girl wanted. It was proof positive that her grandmother listened to her desires.[[In-content Ad]]
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