if, from time to time, you give up expectation, you will be able to perceive what it is you are getting

    Does everyone realize at some point that the gifts that they tend to give are some of the very gifts that they prefer to get? Maybe it's just me; I know that I can be thoughtless and selfish in many ways, and this sort of gift-by-my-preference habit fits right in. Or prehaps it's that those to whom I share gifts are a lot like me, and appreciate the same sorts of things that I do.
     When I give any of these, you can be fairly certain that I'd have just as much liked to received them.

• Flowers and plants
• Music (mix CDs, iTunes gift cards, etc.)
• Art and photographs
• Journals, pens, stationery, stamps, mandala coloring books
• Magnetic poetry (and the Scrabble magnets - so cool!)
• Books (the paper version, Amazon gift cards, bookstore cards)
• Jewelry
• Food (any acknowledged personal favorites)
• Nail polish
• Recurring themes (personal gifts that are carried out over time)

    What would I like, this year? It's been hard for me to come up with a list, really. What I need (extra funds to pay extra bills, and things for the house) has morphed into what I want, and what I want pales in comparison. Maybe I'm just essentially satisfied now, in a way that could not be the case lately.
     I'm sure I'll have a real list at holiday time, after there's been a couple of months to gather up ideas.

[the title quotation is by Idries Shah, from Reflections]