We had almost too warm weather the week before last, and then, this weekend, we had a couple of inches of very wet snow. Husband and I didn’t mind at all. We consider this late spring snow a gift.
“Late spring snow is the poor farmer’s fertilizer”, say the almanacs. This wet, nitrogen-laden snow greens up the pastures and ranges out here, protects the winter wheat, and give us hope that we won’t be in a drought.
What are some simple gifts you received or given lately?
Trail Baboon 
Four times in the past few weeks, I’ve had friends take me somewhere nice for a walk. So I’ve been to:
*Brownie Lake
*Wood Lake Nature Center (it was flooded in spots, but still nice)
*Northeast Minneapolis by the river
*Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
I took my camera to all but the first place – eschewing the extra weight of a tripod and a second lens – and was able to take a few pictures.
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Some of the best simple gifts I’ve received lately are people coming up to me (some whom I don’t recognize or know) and telling me how much they enjoyed one of my books. Call it unsolicited praise or a random act of kindness (because the complimenter certainly didn’t need to say a thing to me), but those comments always make my day.
One we’ve given lately is our version of a random act of kindness. You know how when you go out to eat in a restaurant with servers and you and the server form an instant connection and he/she does a “perfect job of serving” and the food is excellent and the wine is a great match for the food and nothing is too salty and the server goes the extra mile (like double-checking on the gluten-free menu items) and the timing is spot on and you don’t get too full and you and the server exchange more-than-meaningless pleasantries and you think to yourself that this is one of the best eating experiences you’ve had in months (or years, or ever)? We had that on a road trip recently.
When that happens and it feels like the right thing to do and the server looks like she (usually a she) could use the extra money, we leave a huge tip (more like 40% instead of 20%) and I jot down on the receipt “Thanks for your outstanding professional service!” or words to that effect.
The trick is to leave BEFORE the bill is picked up so the server has no chance to thank us (and therefore won’t feel obligated to thank us). It’s not about “buying” someone’s “love;” it’s about praising and rewarding excellence, professionalism, courtesy, and human connection during an interaction that is all too often mundane and ignored.
Chris in Owatonna
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Wow, Chris, I don’t think I’ve ever personally known someone who’s done that sort of thing. Good for you.
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It is always a gift when i run into someone I saw in therapy and they are doing well.
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When my daughter hikes for fitness, she parks her son with me. That happened a week ago. I explained, “Buddy, I need your help with a project. I want to buy you a book, but I don’t know which.” So I called up the Amazon site and scrolled through kid’s books, my grandson beside me. Suddenly his eyes got big. There is a series often called “The Wimpy Kid” series. He has read the first 12. Now there is a new one, so we clicked. He was here yesterday to claim his book. He finished it in three hours and is already reading it a second time.
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I remember seeing that series, Steve. I wonder – does he like Lemony Snickett (not that I’ve read Lemony… just know about him)?
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I think he likes that series, BiR.
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I was scheduled to take our friend W. to an appointment this morning, but I’ve also had a really full weekend. Ran into a mutual friend at one of the events yesterday, who offered to take W to this morning’s appt. I can’t tell you what a joy it was to get up this morning and leisurely make my way through my ritual, finally getting here. Good morning!
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Free time can definitely be a gift. There were a few times when YA was a baby that I paid one of the neighbor girls $5 just to watch her for a half an hour so I could run up to the store and back without having to deal with the car seat and the stroller and all the accoutrements that go with babyhood.
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Parenting is a challenge. Solo parenting must be much more difficult. I salute anyone who does that well.
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I’m glad we didn’t have another few inches of snow that needed shoveling, but I do understand about the insurance from drought, Renee. We still have very high water here, crested I believe while we were gone.
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How was Hawaii? Hope you had a great time.
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