The joy of giving

Scarves at Silk Market, Beijing

When I was in China, I wanted to bring back souvenirs for myself and my friends, and these silk scarves fit the bill perfectly. I think I must have bought, during my six excursions to China, hundreds of different scarves. They were made of silk or pashmina, mostly. (Some were nylon; I bought some pretty ones and gave all the nylon ones away.) I love the feeling of silk. To dress up my outfits at work, I would tie one of these around my neck and make a simple sweater or blouse look much dressier. If you buy several of them at a time, the cost is less than two or three dollars for each one. In China, the shop owners always quote you a very high number at first and bargain down to a fraction of the original asking price.

Dozens of these scarves have been languishing in my closet for years now. I realized recently that they had not been touched since I quit working, so I got out the trusty ironing board and pressed them, wrapped them in tissue paper, sealed the gifts with Christmas stickers, and headed out on the bus this morning.

The two ladies who serve me my latte at the coffee shop got the first of them, and they were both pleased and excited, wrapping them around their necks, looking at themselves in the mirror, obviously happy to have received them. I couldn't believe that giving such a small thing could make so many people happy! Then I went to the Y, and the woman who gives me my towel was the next recipient. She opened it and told me I made her day. By this time the smiles I had left behind me had me grinning, too.

After my workout, I headed over to the Community Food Co-op for some items to make a nice stew of ratatouille. One of my favorite counter helpers got the next one, and she was so thrilled she came around the counter and hugged me, telling me it was the perfect color (it was!) and matched what she was wearing. She asked me to tie it for her, which I did. You would have thought each gift was actually worth more than a few dollars, considering how much enjoyment everyone involved has received.

The ratatouille is now simmering on the stove, looking and smelling good, so the whole experience of today has made me definitely feel part of the 2011 Christmas spirit. In fact, I've had so much fun I'm going to rummage around and see what ELSE I can pass along. What can I rescue from the dreariness of disuse and transform into the joy of giving? I do hope your day is a good one.
:-)