Once upon a time the fox and the crane invited each other for a meal. At first, the crane cooked a rich meal, with the most exquisite food for the fox; serving the food in deep pots, with a long neck, as the crane always uses. The fox was not able to eat anything from these pots, as it could not even reach for bit of the food. And so, it left upset and hungry.
When its turn came, the fox thought to show the crane how a guest should be treated; preparing the most delicious food spread nicely on large plates. However, the crane could not eat much and left hungrier than it came. So, each one thought to itself that they would never talk to each other again because they were not treated properly.
Like them, it happens to us when we give presents to others – especially during the Holiday Season, we buy as much as possible, for everyone we know, as we would like to receive. And many times, the others do not even look at what we offer them, or they leave them on the desk or they look dissatisfied. The one who made the present gets upset and as a result we have two dissatisfied people.
It sometimes happens that we buy something that we like; or that we buy something that the other person sees as too expensive or too different, and so the gift is considered a gesture of rebellion. If the person likes beer, we should not buy them Armagnac; if they like to fish, we should buy something related to that, not something related to hunting. Anyway, the point is to think about what that person would like, to give them something to their measure, not to ours. To give the crane food from pots with long necks, and for the fox from wide plates. Otherwise, we will be eternally unhappy.
A friend of mine told me a long time ago that we should be happy with whatever we receive; when someone gives you a present, regardless of what that is, they think about you, spend time, energy, money for you. And that should not be taken lightly.
#enjoyshopping
#empathy
#gifts
#enjoygivingpresents
#begrateful