A Word On Gifts

With Christmas around the corner (and my birthday, then graduation, on the horizon), I've been thinking a lot about the way we bless each other, materially and relationally/spiritually, through giving gifts. I love it-- I love finding meaningful gifts for people, but it isn't always easy. I thought it might be a good idea to put out into the digital universe the types of things that would be meaningful to me at this point in my life (for those who might have been interested in figuring out 'what to get me' without having read this status, haha). This is not, by any means, an ask for more-- actually, it's an ask for less. I don't need a lot of things at this point, and my life's not permanent enough to be able to hold on to a lot anyway. So, here are some ideas of things that I will be able to hold onto:


1. Adventurous or quality time. This especially goes out to old friends and now-distant relatives. I miss you. I don't travel a lot, so if you could come visit me and count whatever travel costs as a material blessing to me (or help subsidize bus/train to come visit you!), I'd really love it.


2. Homemade cards, letters, papercrafts, etc. Like I said, I don't keep a lot, but I do have almost every piece of personal correspondence I've ever received in a series of notebooks on my bookshelf. I look through them when I'm feeling nostalgic or down on myself-- really, actually, I love them.


3. The relief of someone else's serious need. Serious. If you have $5 to spend on me, I'd love it if you'd consider donating it to your local homeless shelter, or better yet, make friends with a person on the street, ask 'em what they really need, and get it for 'em. You can sign the card for both of us.


4. Take a chink out of my student debt. If we're at that level where you're not-gonna-not do something extravagant, haha, this is literally the only material need I'm feeling right now. The totals are too terrifying to write here, haha, but I'm really close ($270 away!) from paying off my first, fastest-interest-gathering loan. Kind of exciting. Kind of proud of myself. Repeat: I do not need money, but that's somewhere real & meaningful it could go.


5. Pledge future support (time, talents, money, word-spreading) for the not-for-profit, radically inclusive, regional oral history program I'm designing right now. More info to come!


Hope these are helpful hints. I would love to hear where you're at in relation to needs and wants, material and relational, too.


~Ely