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MY JOURNEY OF GIVING

Week 4: What's for Dinner?

7/7/2016

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Well, well, well. Here we are again. This week has been wonderful and I'm not sure I even know why.  It's just nice out, things are going generally well and I live in a beautiful, beautiful city. But anyway...  guess what happened? I bought someone else a cookbook!  Genius, right? Maybe not but please look the other way as I recycle the same idea from 3 weeks ago.

But my friends, it's not quite that simple. The first book I gave away was much more thought-out than this time around. I knew a couple months before I started this blog I wanted to buy that book for that friend. I know she had a specific medical hurdle she was attempting to overcome. The cookbook I gave away this time was inspired by a simple Facebook post by a friend. My "single friend" posted he was uninspired to put together something for dinner. Most reactions (including my 1st reaction) were to tell him to order in or grab some take-out.

But, upon closer inspection, it was clear he really wanted to cook, he wanted to create, - he wanted to make something and feel good about putting it in his body. Well, you might saw that's quite the leap. I suppose it could be. But I know him well enough to see what he's passionate about and this is one of those times. Hell, it's easy - we wears his emotions on his sleeve - and that's what attracts me (as friends) to him.

So there I was - helpless to help him. Well, okay fine. I could have figured out one recipe and suggested it. But what I really wanted was to share another one of my favorite cookbooks - Clean Food by Terry Walters.  I masterfully socially-engineered his home address and 10 clicks later, the cookbook was on its way to his house. 

This felt good - an unplanned gift to a good friend who will get a lot from it. In the beginning all of this giving felt so awkward and unnatural and this week I feel like a pro. I love my friends and family and  helping them, it helps me reflect and appreciate the things I value in my life.
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    Paul in Amsterdam.
    This is the site where I talk about random acts of kindness and giving - and sometimes not so random.

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Photos used under Creative Commons from lorenkerns, Sharon Gerald
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