another happy post?!

...this has got to be a record. somebody please take the time to appreciate it.

thank you.

ok, now that i've got that out of the way, i can actually write the happy post. pretty much, it's about being nice.

i heard this quote in a silly movie i watched a few weeks ago, "the fastest way to a woman's heart is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time." (actually, i heard the quote twice, because the DVD was messed up...)

to me, that sounds at least somewhat true. i don't know that there is any way to know what the "fastest" way to anyone's heart is, but the idea seems legitimate.

any gift you give to someone shows that you were thinking about them. a gift at an unexpected time most likely means that you thought about them even though there wasn't really any objective reason like christmas or their birthday. a gift at an unexpected time will most likely be an unexpected gift, so i think saying "an unexpected gift" might have been more accurately (though less poetically) described as "a unique gift".

a few days ago i received an extremely unique gift at a very unexpected time, and for sure - it touched my heart.

i started thinking of how easy it would be to give unique gifts to people at unexpected times... the gift given to me was not the kind of gift that *i* can really give to anyone else, but there are so many other gifts! time is a gift- often unexpected. a smile is a gift and each one is unique. a kind word is often the only gift needed. a simple note of appreciation or encouragement can go a long way. and, if you have money and a little more creativity, the list is endless.

so i'm trying to open my eyes and see the people in my life. not for what they can do for me, but for opportunities to give them small gifts that will hopefully show that they are valued. simply for existing.

thoughtful. caring. nice. whatever you want to call it, can it really be that hard? it's so simple.