Gift Giving

This early part of the year is flooded with birthdays. My mum’s, my brother’s, friends’, a best beloved’s and even mine…. My dad’s coming up as well :)

Ultimately this means there’s a lot of gift giving.

Now I’m sure we’ve all gone through the painful experience of coming up with a birthday gift. There are so many considerations. Will they like it? Do they need it? Will they use it? What colour?

Here’s my view on this topic….

The best gifts given to me are not even ones given to me on my birthday.

I don’t have my dad or mum’s culinary skills but they take the time to teach me how to make steamed fish (the restaurant way)… and now I can always make it.

My mum has a talent for craft and she teaches me how to crochet and together we create our family stitch…. and now it’s our secret.

My sister and brother go overseas and bring back a music manuscript book from Venice, a Liverpool jersey from London, a ‘pink’ charm from Japan. These are things they know their sister has loved all her life. I remember their consideration and thoughtfulness always.

My grandfather has perfect pitch and would often go to our old casio keyboard piano, sit down and play Waltzing Matila (all by ear) – using the black keys mostly. And though I don’t have perfect pitch, I’d like to think my love of music comes from and is inspired by him.

Cycling falls in this category too… (and I’m about to get an awesome pink bicycle, I might add.)

The best gift I’ve given is lending my help to charities. Working with young people and people less fortunate than myself and passing on some small piece of knowledge or skill (even in the smallest of ways)... it can go a long way. And what I get in return, well, it's more than anything I can actually express.

In the end, these are the types of gifts I treasure the most. These gifts which become a part of me and are with me always.

One last note on gift giving… Surely all mums deserve a treat and a massage on their child’s birthday. After all, it is really them who do all the hard work. They are the ones who should be thanked and celebrated. Birthdays are really their days.