Of Happy Places

Toys R Us always had a special place in my heart. I remember back when I was a kid when the kid next door whose family frequented the US always had new and imported toys. He said all these came from a store called “Toys R Us” and I’ve always felt that it was this one magical building where all kinds of toys were made and sold.

I carried that feeling of mine for years until finally I was able to visit a real Toys R Us store in Hong Kong. Since we were on a budget, I remember buying two toys – a real microscope and a sea monkeys set. I was probably the happiest kid in the world having been able to visit the store and confirming that it’s not a mythical place after all.

A happy happy place.



One rainy afternoon here in Chicago, Louvre, Feliz and I dropped by the nearest Toys R Us store. After hours of roaming around inside, Feliz and I were done while Louvre was scouring the Thomas and Friends boxes for a good train set. In that section, there was an assembled Thomas and Friends set where a kid was playing. I sat down and thought that this was Toys R Us was all about – happy feelings. The kid was having so much fun playing with this huge train set. Louvre was happily rummaging through different boxes trying to find the ones he knows his kid would love (and there’s no greater joy to a dad than making his son happy). Feliz was sitting down and hugging the stuffed unicorn she picked out. Me? I was there sitting on the other side just enjoying this place and having no thoughts of work or problems. Heck, even my support phone couldn’t get a signal inside the store. What a place!

Like so many years ago, I’m still on a budget but I got myself my two toys. I wanted something that (1) would make me think but not stressed and (2) solved life’s tough decisions.