The Earbud
"Gifts connect you with the person you’ve gifted in a way we rarely fathom beyond the gift leaving our hands or our mind if we’ve ordered it to be sent directly to them."
Do you see that earbud – that, now that I'm looking at it again, too, weirdly looks like a Sharpie marker cap growing out of my ear? Yeah?
Well, this story is actually not about this earbud at all.
Let me tell you about the depth of what is really going on in this photo.
I posted on my personal Facebook page a reflection of sorts about my boys who’ve become runners (a “gene” they did not get from me or their father), about God shouting at me to get moving and actually fitting into my schedule for me through my kids (because sometimes God takes matters into His own hands and forces us to do what’s good for us). So I declared I would begin walking because I literally have no choice (God is pretty amazing and insistent about this).
During the day I posted this, I got a text from my favorite sister (my amazing, big, and only sister) saying, “I read your post. Here is the link to the rosary I listen to on my walks. It’s 19 minutes or 29 minutes if you decide to add the Divine Mercy Chaplet, too.” She ended with a self-deprecating joke about mature bodies being stubborn and happy with their lovable softness, but enjoying the walk nonetheless.
Seems like a sweet, cute, simple and straight-forward message, right?
I didn’t respond to the text (“as you never do!” I can hear her shouting at me), just filed it away in my quick access memory because I knew I’d be clicking on that link in a day or so on my next walk.
Enter the earbud.
While my 13 year old son warmed up and began to run his laps, I clicked the Rosary link, pocketed my phone in my awesome leggings (awesome because, hello, pockets!), fired up my earbud, and began my walk and Rosary circuit.
Now, pause for a moment. Put yourself on that track, in my shoes, prayers piped in to your ears. Who do you think I thought about for at least the first part of my walk and then again as the Rosary ended?
Easy - - My sister. Why? She was the person who gave me the gift of the easy access, free link to do something I needed to do, had been wanting to do and had been forced into the time to do. Now, would I have found that (or a similar link) on my own to do just that just then? Probably, yes. But I didn’t have to. It was given to me by someone who SAW me, HEARD me, and wanted to support me. I doubt she had any notion that she would become so much a part of my morning walks that way - that I would think of her SEEING me, HEARING me, and SUPPORTING me every time I clicked that link, that she would become permanently woven into that particular time of my day.
THAT is what gifts can do. They connect you with the person you’ve gifted in a way we rarely fathom beyond the gift leaving our hands or our mind if we’ve ordered it to be sent directly to them.
Every time they use the gift, especially if it happens to be just the thing they really need in that moment, they think of you and are grateful for you right then. It is this connection that can make a seemingly ordinary gift like a kitchen towel or a charge cord bracelet extraordinary.
A gift message has the same power. The keychain with a compass or a funny saying on it may appear plain or even impersonal, but when you convey in the accompanying note why you picked it for them at that moment in time, in their life, you create a connection between you where they recall your pride or encouragement or the memory you scribed in your message. That is when anything can become the perfect gift.
It’s not about the gift. It’s about the why. It’s not about the cost, it’s about the thought.
I’m sure you have things you wear or use that cause you to think of the person who gifted it to you, even if for just a half-a-second. But just that fleeting thought is like sending a prayer into the wind for them. How special (and spectacular!) to have good vibes floating in the universe just for you because of those connections?!
As we head into the biggest gifting season of the year, stressing over the time and effort to “get it right” or even to get it at all, consider the reason you are giving a gift for that person. Who they are to you, what they mean to you or your family, why they made it on your gift list. If it’s someone you aren’t closely personal with, it’s okay to pick something you like if you aren’t certain what they might like. I guarantee you, with the right message, they will LOVE it and send out thoughtful vibes for you every time they touch it.
So don’t stress over the “what,” just think about the “why.” And if you are shopping with Xenia Box, we can help you craft the message that conveys it. Just email us at bekind@xeniabox.com.
#InspiredGenerosity #CreateJoy #MakeThemSmile #SimpleGiftGiving