Dare to Know the Simple Life

    So when I was eight years old a new Burger King opened up in my town and this was big news for all of us, and of course I had to have my birthday party there.  I mean really who wouldn't wanna have their birthday party in a massive ball pit where you could easily loose anything you may have had in your pocket.  This year I was so excited because I was turning nine and nine is one year before to big one zero.  Hello double digits!
      Now the only downfall to this whole wonderful birthday party deal was that my dad, my hero, the only man in my life at the time was out of town on business and wouldn't be able to make it or so I was told.  Well I'm not going to lie.  I wanted my Dad to be there but I was about to be nine years old and there were presents. You could say that I got over my heartbreak very quickly. 
    And then my Dad surprised us all like he always does and showed up right at the end of the party.  I was opening a gift from my favorite auntie that happened to be a massive bag of pre popped popcorn when in walks my dad.  We have this picture of me in his arms that day and that's the best way to explain how happy I was.  Now here's where the story gets better.  He didn't just bring himself, he definitely had a present.  He pulled out a zip lock baggy and gave it to me.  When I dumped the contents out I saw that I have several dollar bills folded into all kinds of different things.  I had one shaped like a turkey, a frog, a t-shirt, a necktie, and several other odds and ends.
     I'm twenty years old and every year on my birthday I pull those little origami pieces out that my Dad gave me and cherish each one.  I'm not sure why they are so important to me. Maybe it's because I never received a gift so simple but so full of love before.  I doubt my Dad has the faintest idea of how special they are to me or even that I still have them.  They remind me every time I pull them out how something simple can mean the world to someone.  I always want to have those simple things in my life because those are the things that matter the most in the end.  Your $1,000 macbook won't last a lifetime, neither will your nice car or that hair style you paid $200 for.  What will last a lifetime? The simple things that you tuck away into the back of the closet and forget for weeks, months, even years, but the key is when you pull them out again you'll always have a rush of memories that matter more than anything.