Well I fell off the gift giving wagon on day seven, which was Monday. I just forgot all about giving a gift and got wrapped up in my own world. In all fairness I did have something important happening Tuesday morning that was consuming my thoughts.

Needless to say I started the whole process over on Wednesday by giving a co-worker a book called One.  This book was sent to me as a gift from one of our customers at work. After seeing me open the package and receive the  book my co-worker commented she loved looking at this book the last time we visited the customer’s facility so I gave her my copy.  She was happy and surprised.  The remaining days of gifts have mainly involved me spending time with others or going the extra distance for Hess.  For example, today (gift six) I work up early for a work event and made Hess some toast and then brought him a latte when the event was over. It’s not a lot, but it seems a little thoughtfulness goes a long way.

I’ve definitely learned gift giving takes a conscious effort. Some days I see only a handful of people so I really have to pay attention to see what I can do that day. I’ve also learned sometimes I give a gift and realize that what I gave wasn’t really the gift at all. For example, one of the gifts I gave a friend (prior to falling off the wagon) was a silly collage I made. We met for dinner and I presented the collage, but after the evening was over I realized the real gift wasn’t the collage it was taking the time to listen. At the end of dinner she thanked me for letting her vent and for understanding her perspective on the issues she’s dealing with.

As I continue to move through this process I’m learning a lot more than I thought I would and am looking forward to reflecting on the 29 days after I’ve completed. Hopefully this time around I’ll move through the full 29 days without starting over.