KEEP SPREADING LOVE

How the Simplest of Ideas Can Become the Profoundest of Gifts

Keeping it super simple can create greater space for kindness

My seventeen-year-old daughter puts down the mug I bought for her for her sixth birthday. The words on the front still as clear as they were then.

“I Love You”

It came from a charity shop. It was at a time when I simply hadn’t the money to buy fancy or expensive gifts. But that never mattered.

Gifting, for me, never was about the monetary value but about giving something that is meaningful. Which is why buying something for which the money will help another adds such a thick layer of love that it smothers any gift with the potential that comes with that.

Gifting for me is so much more than an item to possess.

For Christmas, one of the best gifts I received was a sushi-making set along with all the ingredients required to make sushi.

Sushi is delicious, it has to be said.

But, more than the enjoyment of eating it is the enjoyment of making it.

And, the fact is that I would never have gotten around to making any sushi alone.

But my daughters absolutely love sushi and so we decided one weekend that we would make sushi together, using the kit.

The kit itself was useful and offered new culinary options. But the real gift was having a fun (and tasty) activity to partake in with my two daughters, to laugh ourselves silly when we messed up, to take the piss out of each other while struggling to pick up falling apart sushi rolls with chopsticks, and to lie around in front of the fire with full bellies, congratulating ourselves on our combined effort.

A smart idea leads to a powerful impact.

I have an ex-client who created this wonderful database for his own clients. It was his birthday database.

While many people are reluctant to share their dates of birth or home addresses with a business, he was so personable that many were more than happy to share their birth dates and addresses with him. And he, in turn, honoured their trust.

He had cards designed digitally and would send each person a card for their birthday — even right across the pond, as I found out (he is based in the US while I am in the UK).

Now, each year on my birthday as well as every Christmas, I receive a card from himself and his lovely wife. There is always a heart-warming message designed to lift anyone and give them a sense of connection.

The idea is so simple and yet so effective. With an easy, automated form, he is then able to turn those tidbits of information into a powerhouse of human kindness.

And a few simple words can often be the biggest of gifts.

A thought, a message, or a gesture can make all the difference.

Last year, a friend’s birthday was coming up and I hadn’t yet bought him a gift.

It was getting a bit late to find something and I didn’t want to half-ass it by buying something just for the sake of giving him a gift. Instead, I wrote a little message in his birthday card telling him that his gift will be an afternoon tea in a nice, local cafe of his choice.

I knew how much he loved going out to eat and drink — he’s getting on in life and these are the little things that light up his life.

A couple of weeks following his birthday, we went to a nearby hotel and had a Devonshire cream tea in a beautiful setting. And yes, I enjoyed giving this gift immensely…for more reasons than the obvious 😉.

And, for an aging man who lives alone, going out to a beautiful setting, being served delicious treats, and having some warm conversation for an hour or two was far more meaningful than being given a nice-smelling candle, or a tin of biscuits.

The best part for me about gifting is the enjoyment that goes into giving to another. Knowing the true difference it can make to someone’s life, to be reminded of your love, or to feel cared for and heard for a little moment in time — this is where the power lies.

Giving anything with the intention of a gift behind it can have a profound effect on another.

How about you? What are the kinds of gifts that have made a difference in your life?

This was written in response to Ali Hall’s February prompt. Read all about it here:

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