Did you ever notice that often when an adult gives you a gift that they often say “it is nothing” or “it is just a little something”. They diminish its value at the onset.
But when a child gives you a gift – and mainly it is something they have made-they give it wholeheartedly and with such pride that the way it is given is really better than the gift.
As I am still celebrating my birthday month, lovely things are still trickling in.
My artists give me hysterical gifts-I have been given a shoelace, a tiara, a spider in a tupperware container, packs of stickers, hockey cards, a bubblemaker, origami things that twirl if you drop them from the sky, silly putty (used), bubblegum (thankfully not) a pair of ballet slippers, and a bag of half eaten movie popcorn. I call this collection the “museum of weird gifts”. The artists insist I keep them on display.
Ocassionally I feel like asking them “how old do you think I am?”. But I don’t because the real answer will scare them as it does me. I prefer to keep it this way- the way they see me-well under 10.
Last week I got a gift from a most excited little friend. She fished it out from the depths of her very busy and overstuffed grade 1 knapsack. She could hardly contain her excitement.
“Oh Nancy, you are going to love my present” she whispers breathlessly.
She handed me a ziplock sandwhich bag.In it was a tube of half empty glitter glue. Something no girl should be without.
and a decorated matchbox and inside a hand made fairy for good luck
and some shells collected on a vacation in Cayman
and strangely $1.13 in cold cash
and a pipecleaner ring with a heart (my very favourite item)
a tatoo (her favourite item)
The museum of weird (cherished) gifts is growing.