Gift giving (and getting) March 25
Ask anyone that knows me well and they will tell you that I don’t like getting gifts. It’s true. I know it’s weird but it kinda makes me feel awkward and put on the spot. Honestly, most gifts suck. I know, ‘it’s the thought that count,’ right? Exactly! Which is why most gifts suck…because most people don’t put thought into them.
This is because we live in a world where gift giving is forced upon us 90% of the time Christmas, birthdays, sweet sixteen? I’ve even heard of people getting gifts on Easter! Gimmie a break!
The best gifts are the ones ‘just because’. You know, when you are wondering through a marketplace, or visiting a strange place and you see this thing and you think of someone and you just have to buy it for them. Those gifts are the best kind and I have to share two recent ones that made me squeal with delight.
The first photo is a friendship twist from the beautiful beaches of New Zealand. My good friend Eusebia (cool name, eh?) had been traveling for a while and stopped through my town on her way home. She told me the wonderful story about how these necklaces are made. The process begins with cow bone that it is boiled for a really long time and then left to dry out so that it becomes really hard. Then skilled artists slowly drill and chip away at the bone with tenderness and grace. The end result is a milky smooth finish.
You know what the best part is? She bought it because of the story behind the necklace. She knew that’s the sort of thing I would enjoy. She was right. Whenever someone compliments me on that piece I truly enjoy telling them of it’s history. I wear that necklace proudly.
The next gift was a set of books. Not just any set of books but dream books. I am a vivid dreamer and I used to have this book of dreams that I would consult almost every morning. I had it for years (yes, it was a gift) and it got lost in a move. It was missed VERY much. Well, one day out of the blue a package arrived at my house in my husband’s name. When I brought it him he told me to open it and it was the book you see in the middle. That wasn’t the end of it - two more packages arrived within a couple of weeks. He knew that I would like to have more than one book to reference and compare. It’s kind of like doing research, which I love doing. It gives me hours of enjoyment and warm fuzzies every time I need to open it up.
I can’t think of anything more thoughtful then that 
About 90% of the TV I watch I download. 9% I watch from DVDs and 1% from actual live television. The biggest reason for the downloading? It’s just a hell of a lot more convenient. Oh, and no stupid commercials.