Gift Receipt

In the cold dark hours of the morning, as I dragged my recycling bin to the curb, I had a chance encounter with my newspaper carrier. It always seems odd to me watching adults deliver the paper. Not that there is anything wrong with it… but having been a ten-year-old paper-boy growing up, I still can’t shake the paradigm that the paper should be delivered by the neighbourhood kid.

Every once in a while, my departure time coincides with the delivery of one of our early morning newspapers. Usually my interaction with the delivery person is a nodded confirmation that the rag should be left on my porch, followed by a mumbled thank-you for his services.

This recent morning wasn’t much longer, but gratifyingly much more meaningful, all because of a single sentence uttered by my trusty town crier. It was all in the quick moment he took to thank me for his Christmas bonus.

Thank-you is an underused and invaluable phrase.

As a person who needs to use it more, I know first hand. As the recipient of this gentleman’s thanks, I experienced the incredible high that comes from being appreciated. The root of this emotion for me, was really grounded in his appreciation for my token gesture.

Embarrassingly, I cannot remember what I gave him. $20.00? $50.00? Probably not as much as a hundred. I hope it wasn’t too little. Does this make my offering any less genuine? I trust not.

But like most genuine gifts, this was one that gave back more than it cost. I do appreciate his efforts, partly because I love my daily papers. I do see how hard he works, how many papers are stacked in his van, how quickly he roars from house to house. I have no possible mental tools to imagine what his life is like. His financial situation. His family situation. But I know he deserves what I gave him.

His thanks altered the course of my day, and now I will admit, my year. His quick sentence gave me a focus for the coming twelve months. My self-interrogation of how much did I give this hard-working soul, helped me understand my philosophy for the next 365 days.
It is simple really. I am going to give generously to those who deserve it. I am going to over tip the great waiters and under tip the bad waitresses. I am going to invest in the people who invest in themselves. I am going to spend more time coaching the kids who try hardest, and not just the fastest or the tallest.

Call it my own little version of pay-it-forward. Call it my one and only New Year’s resolution. Call it my year-long holiday gift.