The Principle of Giving

The circle of life, the seasons and just plain logic show that by giving, something good will come to you in return. Science has proven time and time again that for every action there is a reaction. After all, doesn't the body produce a shadow? Doesn't Winter eventually give way to Spring? What goes up must come down. So why is it so difficult to give, sometimes?

Living in a small town, I am amazed at the quality of some of the hand-me-downs I've received from the neighborhood ladies. Due to the reputation factor, no one wants to give beat up clothes because then others will say that they give shabby clothes away. In a small town, a bad reputation is a fate worse than death.

From what I have seen, because relationships are more intimate, your nosy neighbors may actually feel like they belong to you, as do you them, and feel responsible for your general welfare. Perhaps this is the reason why people in my town, at least, seem to feel it necessary to know so much. They can't help it - but that is a subject for another Hub.

"The beat goes on!"

It has been my experience so many times, that it has become a new principle of mine - if you want to get, you need to give. It's practically fool proof.

There were snow trips where I didn't have the gear - and I didn't want to invest in it for a one shot deal. So what did I do? Prepare a few clothing care packages to moms of children in the neighborhood. And - lo and behold - within a few days the "missing items" miraculously appeared. Abra - Kadabra!

By the same token, I usually give a gift, generally something homemade that didn't require an outlay of cash. That could be a home-made potholder crocheted of yarn or a bottle of dried figs in a decorated glass jar. I also like to make extra jars of homemade marmalade for this purpose - as thank you gifts to the moms who save me both time and money by passing along their kids' wearable clothes. This saves me the trouble of having to go clothes' shopping for jeans and coats that my kids will wear out in a season or less.

Give - Get. You want to Get? Then Give. It's as simple as that.

My kids love hand me downs! They "are" pretty snazzy looking, better than the clothes I would be able to afford. Kids grow fast, the Moms I know tend to over-shop.

When my kids get something from an older child, they are intrigued. These older kids are their idols, in a sense. My daughter thinks every pre-teen is a princess in training. My son also looks up to the big boys. When their mothers pass along some great looking T-shirts or jeans skirts, they are tickled pink to "walk in the footsteps" of their big cheese neighbor-friend.

Something that I never would have expected is that not only are the clothes are more interesting when their slightly older and larger friend wore them first, my kids are more likely to take better care of them (!).

If I were to buy it they might have said I don't LIKE it... but because their FRIEND wore it first of course they are Cool threads!

My friend's daughter stayed with us all summer when she got a job at the seaside. We made a few changes and she shared a room with my daughter while my son slept on the couch. Again, the kids loved it. My daughter liked this cool older girl (aged 20) and my son felt like a king sleeping on the couch. (Go figure!!).

A month or so later, I was offered a great job out of town. When I explained that I didn't have a place to stay, they arranged a small apartment for me to use whenever I needed it - absolutely free of charge. Totally unexpected - and in a perfect central location. Like gravity, it seems to work!

A Good Thing

As humorous as it may seem, here in Dalmatia there is a belief that when a bird trickles on your shoulder, Money is on its way to you! Not bad!

(I think the same thing applies if it lands on your outdoor clothes' line...)