Giving and Receiving
When it comes closer to the holiday season, we often get stressed out in finding the perfect gift for our loved ones. As gift givers we really want the receiver to enjoy and love the gift. We put pressure on ourselves to give the best possible gift to each loved one in our family. Perhaps this year giving to charity on behalf of our loved ones could be the best gift of all. Or maybe just being creative with arts and crafts or cooking some fabulous desserts and snacks would be more welcomed by our friends and family.
We have been told that the act of giving is the thought behind the gift not the gift itself. “It is the intention behind your giving and receiving that is the most important thing. The intention should always be to create happiness for the giver and receiver, because happiness is life-supporting and life-sustaining and therefore generates increase.
The return is directly proportional to the giving when it is unconditional and from the heart. That is why the act of giving has to be joyful – the frame of mind has to be one in which you feel joy in the very act of giving.” (Seven spiritual laws of success – Deepak Chopra) In other words there should be no need to put pressure on our selves or stress out about the perfect gift. There should be joy and happiness in this process not the other way around.
Often the stress and pressure come from how humans receive gifts. How does the receiver perceive this gift that you spent hours trying to figure out what to buy or make for them only to have them not enjoy the gift they received. As individuals we need to be grateful for any gift life has to offer us. Be it in the form of a sunny day or first snowfall or a gift from a loved one. Even if what we expected to get from someone doesn’t turn out to be what we wanted it should not make us feel disappointed we should be happy that they even thought of us at all.
This year lets all try to be less stressed about giving and just give from the heart and when we receive gifts this year just be grateful for whatever gift is given, no expectations and no disappointments.
By Heather