The true White Elephant gift...

So, a few months ago, I decided to volunteer passing out fire alarms to low income families. I was all excited about helping those in need--- until of course I found out that we wouldn't be in JoCo, but rather on Paseo...walking the streets going door to door. If you are familiar with KC, you know that Paseo is one of the "no go" zones.... and that usually means even driving. So... walking down the streets of Paseo, well, that my friends, was an experience I will not too soon forget. The point of this blog, is not about wandering the streets of the Paseo, but rather about the Poncho I received that day to protect me from the rain. I imagined that day that the trash bag poncho was also bullet proof to protect me from the streets, and therefore have since offered it to my friend, Josh, as I found it to be incredibly protective for me- so why wouldn't I want to protect my friend? Josh, on the other hand, does not see the need for such protective gear. So, on a rather daily basis, we "gift" one another with the poncho by leaving it somewhere on one anothers desk, hiding it between papers and cards, and most recently, we chuck it across the floor at one another hoping it will land in eachothers cubicle. Today- I discovered that not only is the poncho a device that provides hours of entertainment, but it is also a way to celebrate Christmas. And today, that little gift made it back to my cube by way of concussion. Thats right... Josh, being so festive and jolly, chucked the White Elephant gift across the room, over my cubicle, and right upside my head. Now... as with most things in my life, it isn't until I do some reflecting that I realize the lesson, or irony, in this case, that the once protective poncho has ironically become a device for assault.