Recently a.. good friend of mine gave me a gift. Simple. Uncalled for. And for no reason other than she genuinely wanted me to have it. The gift was of a book. Which I have come to love; I will admit. I, for one, have never been the type to enjoy getting gifts. I’ve always felt that I have everything that I need, and if I find something which I’m lacking, I will acquire it for myself. I’ve just always thought there were far more deserving people in the world than myself for others to spend their money or time on. Nevertheless, this girl, my friend, has somehow circumvented that barrier in getting me things. She has, as it were, tamed me. Billions of people in the world. Billions of gift. But, when you tame something, it becomes special to you and you to it. It is different than all of the others. It brings meaning to the meaningless. Or atleast that’s one of the things the book she gave told me. Thus far, there have been two of great significance. There have been other things such as a candy she though I might enjoy, but that’s not really the idea here. The first, a tiny trinket. This was a result of our discussion of our love for pointless eclectic.. junk, if you will. Odds and ends. You know. The general tiny knick-knacks you’d find lining the shelves of the homes of elderly women or the pointless treasures you find in antique shops. The one which I received was similar to her personal favorite. This was meaningful in that she wanted to share this with me. So that we’d both have one. The second, of course, was this book. This book which I absolutely adore and couldn’t agree with more strongly. However, the real point of this was as follows:
She sat down beside me in the car and handed me what looked like a brown paper envelope. Two ribbons wrapped around it. Long way, a purple ribbon, my favorite color. The shorter, a yellow ribbon, yellow just matches so well with purple. Also attached a tiny flower which was made by attaching small cut outs together via 2 small wires. One copper. One Green. I untied the purple ribbon. Slid the yellow off. Cut the tape on the back. Removing it I found another ‘envelope’ made of tissue paper.. a pale yellow. She had written on it. And this was what I really wanted to share with you.
Never for a second, think that any alternative to living your life fully, completely – is acceptable. Do things. Make choices because it’s what makes you happy… it’s what’s uncomfortable, scary, new… whatever. Just remember that moments in this life are fleeting, and you deserve to experience the best of them.
This inscription meant the world to me. Far more than I think she realizes. It’s these things. The care. The thought. The understanding. The sincerity. That are the greatest gifts which I have ever received. It is my greatest desire that I could in some way reciprocate that which was given to me. However, I’ve yet to figure out how to give joy, hope, and the will to go on.
I don’t think I’ve ever told her this. But, it’s one of the things which I find so attractive about this friend. I think that in any good, true friend you should be able to find a small piece of yourself. Something which makes you better. Something which you always needed in life. And in this girl. I find a whole lot of me. A great deal of what I’ve always been missing. I find understanding for myself. I find understanding and hope for life. I’ve always felt a little misunderstood and a bit down and out. But, in this girl, I find that there are people (or atleast one person) out there who understands me. She makes me want to be the best I can be. Makes me want to do what’s right and take care of myself. Makes me feel like maybe I can do this being a grown up thing. Like maybe I can be functional in life. That there’s no journey too hard. Nothing I can’t weather. Nothing I can’t make it through and come out the other side strong, so long as I have the right partner. As so thus. Side by side. I feel as though I’m ready for absolutely any adventure. And. I can think of no greater gift than that.
adarkspot 