Day ONE! Blast off!

In the last few weeks, I've been increasingly intentional about giving. In the days before reading 29 Gifts, here are some gifts I offered: Helped push a car stuck in the snow with my friend Shannon. Bought a box of assorted feminine hygiene items for the women's room at work. Purchased the absolute, perfect gift for Carolyn even before I knew I would end up being her Secret Santa. Got up at 6 a.m. to drive my son to an all-day wrestling tournament knowing it would be a eight cramped hours sitting on bsckless gym bleachers, not to mention that it's very difficult and painful to watch him in the ring. Drove my son's friend home though it was late and he lives in the opposite direction from where I was going.

And my favorite: my friend Shannon and I were at the grocery store Starbucks, where she bought me a cup of coffee and I had the opportunity to practice being on the receiving end. Although that is not the point of my story, it's significant in and of itself, because it was hard for me to relax and allow her to pay. She is a young newlywed who is just starting out and I was very conscious that they don't have a lot of extra money to spend. I tried to accept the gift semi-gracefully, though I didn't do a great job of it. Shannon really wanted to buy me a fancy drink, like a grande mocha latte cappuccino, and what I do but order a boring old decaff. I'll learn, though; I'll get better at this.

The grocery store mini-Starbucks only boasts three chairs, and Shannon grabbed two for us. The third was covered with a coat and bag, abandoned by their owner for the previous twenty minutes, Another customer asked the clerk if she could move the items; she was told sure, go ahead. No sooner had the woman moved the items to the side and seated herself when the owner materialized and yelled, “That’s my STUFF!! NOBODY touches my stuff! Leave my stuff alone!" The other customer clearly felt very badly, almost shaken, about the interaction. As Shannon and I finished our coffee, I approached the woman to say, "I'm sorry she yelled at you." I told her I honestly believed the other party had some kind of mental disability. I assured her she hadn't done anything wrong, and encouraged her not to take the action personally. "You really think so?" she asked, visibly relieved. I was so happy to be able to help set her mind at ease, even if I couldn't totally erase the sting of a public tongue lashing.

Finally, I want to say that it is my friend Shannon who spurs me on to do more for other people. Shannon connects with everyone she meets. In restaurants, she writes thank you notes on napkins to express gratitude to waiters for their service. When we did a road trip, she had a goody bag for me, complete with a personalized note thanking me for sharing the journey with her. She spends hours digging out her neighbor's snowbound cars. Shannon brings in homemade cupcakes and fresh fruit and inspires spirit days in the office, where she is known as "Jazz Hands" and "Sunshine" for her upbeat, high energy optimism. In short, Shannon gives at least 29 gifts a day, every day.

Shannon is a gift in my life. I treasure our friendship, and she inspires me to give to others. Although she is much younger than me, I hope that when I 'grow up,' (if I ever manage to do so) I will be more like her.

Shannon: thank you for your loving, giving example. Today, this post is a gift for you. I love you.