Gifts

"An expected gift is not worth giving."

-- John Updike

I've never been big on the coerced gift-giving tradition of holidays. Birthdays may be the one exception, but even then, I like to celebrate the lives of my friends and family willy-nilly, year around.

The best gifts are surprise gifts. Things that arrive in the mail out-of-the-blue, just show up on your desk at work, or are handed to you when you least expect it, are so valued, in part, because they are not tied to holidays, rites of passage, or other patterns of cultural expectation. When it's a Tuesday in October and someone gives you a beautiful, wool sweater in your favorite color, you feel very special!

Plus, I love spontaneity. It feels great to see something you know someone else will appreciate, buy it on the spot, and give it to them immediately. No waiting for a special occasion, no stockpiling for Christmas, just see-buy-give.

So, today, give at least one unexpected gift. You can even give it to someone you don't know! When I was in college, a friend and I found dozens of roses that had been discarded behind a florist shop. They may have been a little past their prime, but they were full and succulent and a deep, ruby red. We took them all and then walked down the street on a cold February night handing out roses to delighted passerbys.

Today is your day to give the unexpected gift. Who knows? Tomorrow may be your day to receive it.