Ok so, maybe I’m an old fuddy-duddy but I’m not quite “down” with this idea of virtual gift giving. I can clearly see it from the standpoint of the frugality that our economic client has imposed but it smacks of impersonality and detachment. Doesn’t it?
I must confess however, that over the last few years I have become a fan of the ubiquitous e-cards and send them with regularity now. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I went into a card store. I have a friend who still believes in going to the store, reading hundreds of cards, picking out just the right one for the recipient in question, writing a personal note, slipping it into the envelope, hand writing the address, licking the stamp and walking it to the mailbox on the corner. I’m sure she wants to throttle me whenever I send her one of those blasted e-cards.
The only reason I mention that is because ecards are another form of impersonality and detachment too, but yet, I’ve embraced them. So, what’s my point? Well, I just think it’s easy for all of us in this day and age of backberries/quick emails/tweets/etc to forget that friendship requires closeness, thoughtfulness and care. It’s way too easy for us to dash off a quick whatever or keep our friends updated on the doings in our lives through our daily tweets or facebook entries.
Maybe what I’m trying to get at is that friends are precious. Friends are what keep us in this life. Ergo, we need to treat them with kindness, make them feel special, and make them understand how important they are to us. I know this economy has taken a toll on our bank books but, maybe we could revisit that idea of giving of ourselves. Remember what Kahlil Gibran said - “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. “
The next time you need to give a gift and are feeling the pinch, think about making a date with that person for go for a walk together in the park or on the beach. Maybe you could take a little drive through the countryside. How about baking them a cake or a shoe box full of chocolate chip cookies. If they live far away, see if you can Skype with them. I’ve done that with a friend who lives in Germany and we just love it.
The gift of spending time to talk, laugh, share and reminisce is priceless and won’t soon be forgotten. Do you have thoughts on this topic? I’d love to hear what you think about this.
