7 Days of Gifts: A Week in Review
It’s not even 8am on a Sunday morning and I have already given my 7th gift this week. I gave it before I got out of bed. When I finally did stumble out of bed this morning after not having enough sleep, my partner, Allison handed me her gift of a soy tea latte (our fave beverage these days) and said, “Can I tell you how you changed my life this morning?”
“Sure,” I said. “But, what did I do? I just got up.”
She went on to explain that she woke up in a temper tantrum when Rufus, our Yorkie, insisted on being taken out to go potty (the nerve of him)…she also did not have enough sleep. But then, she remembered the lesson that I taught the kids during our recent Thanksgiving Gratitude Camp and she was able to turn her mood around with the sheer power of focusing on the things that she was grateful for.
This is actually the 2nd time this week that I shared this lesson as 1 of my gifts. The first was on Tuesday, Day 2 of my challenge, when a good friend and customer was talking to me about a struggle she had had with her daughter who had attended our Thanksgiving Camp. I spent a good deal of time listening to her and sharing my views of the situation. Then, I let her know that her daughter really responded well to the idea that focusing on your gratitudes can give you the power to change your situation around. She accepted this idea freely and enthusiastically and said, “That’s definitely a tool I can use.”
My other gifts this week were:
Day 3 (Wed): I found this beautiful picture of a customer’s son from summer camp and sent it to her
Day 4 (Thursday): I bought lunch for my partner and my friend/office manager
Day 5 (Friday): I tipped the staff at a local bakery that I have never thought to tip before
Day 6 (Yesterday): I began buying materials for Christmas presents for my family yesterday…I am doing all homemade gifts this year. But wait, I didn’t actually give them anything so…what else did I give yesterday? Okay…here’s one…my partner and I were cleaning the house together but then she had to go to an appointment. So, I finished it while she was gone so she could come home to a clean house.
That feels like a gift to me.
