I always liked the joy that giving gifts offers me. I love to receive of course, but there is something magical when you give back to someone else.If you have put your soul into the gift rather than handing out a paycheck or buying something You would like (we have all been there...) then you will feel the other person's real happiness. A gift is a sign that someone cares. I love to give small attentions in mundane days. In ordinary days. When nobody would see it coming. I see no reason why we should just conform and show affection only on birthdays and Christmas.
My last three years of my life have been pretty loaded when it came to relationships. Maybe other women who would have gone through what I did would have chosen to forever hate men and think that they are all little pigs. I have worked a lot on my mindset in order to be able to see past my experiences and not become bitter. I find it sad when women or men take a bad experience and use it to redefine their whole perspective on reality. Life is so much more than one sour apple. Since I became single again I have changed my attitude and redefined who I am.
I started to take much better care of myself and love my whole being more. Doing this has only allowed to fill my cup and be capable of giving back love even more. You can't give what you do not have and this is why many people are not willing to be compassionate and loving toward others: they do not give love to themselves, how could they give to others? Starting from praying, meditation, relaxing walks in nature, reading and painting, I have found a new inner me, a even stronger version after my heart was broken. The united pieces are even stronger now. Who would have thought ? The human spirit is always a warrior and even after the worst experiences a strong soul can pick itself up and dust itself off and start again. I know my worth now and I am not giving discounts anymore. And damn this is powerful! Only from this place of strenght one can give love and be serene about any outcomes.
I discovered the joy of massage. Working in the beautry industry and painting detailed art for years has put my back and neck to the test. So for a while I pampered myself with nice massage sessions. I will continue to do so because it feels so good. For those who are into massage you know what I mean. It feels amazing.
I admire the guy who takes care of my back. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he is a book worm just like me. It is not so common to find someone into books in beauty salons. He wants to be more than a masseur and he is pursuing studies in order to advance professionaly. This is admirable and it shows that at any point in life, no matter how old you are, you can change your life and your mindset and strive for the best. What I noticed is that he loves flowers and he is a plant fanatic. Just like me. So I could not help but think that he would love a little gift from me which would imply...Plants #succulent
So I have decided to give him a baby aloe from my own plant nursery and paint a pottery piece especially for that. I bought a simple pot and decided to go for warm colors: green, yellow, red.
I felt so happy to be able to do a nice gesture toward someone who was also nice to me. It is not relevant that he is a stranger , I believe that we put censorship on our heart when we think that only loved ones deserve gifts. I think that more people would have their faith in humanity restored if they would allow themselves to be generous and do as their heart feels.
I started with some layers of yellow and green.
I decided to paint some more flowers and make this a very floral item.
Of course that I had to add some little dots. I could not contain myself.
I gave him all the care instructions and told him that I will check on my baby to see the progress lol. Everytime when I give a plant from my collection I feel like I give a baby therefore I really have to make sure it goes on the right hands.
He really loved the gift and I could tell he was not used with receiving. Often we can't take in the good we get because we are not used to receive . I feel that the world needs more gestures of love toward random people. Love is not something that diminishes if you give it away, on the contrary, it multiplies.
A short clip of the final pottery piece
Phone photos during the process
Give some love and some smiles today. At random. Without expectations. You'll feel so much better and it will barely cost you anything than your time and intention.
Have a blessed day and toodle loo!