Recently I read a cartoon designed by the artist Gavin Aung Than, based on a comment made by author John Green. You can see the cartoon here.
It seems to me that, taken in its broadest sense, Make Gifts for People (and indeed, not just for people, but for anything else that we choose) is the answer to a lot of questions:
How can I bring more happiness into the world?
What can I do when I’m bored or worried or frustrated?
What thought can give me a reason to wake up in the morning?
The list of potential things you can give is endless. Here are some starting points:
1. Prepare a home-cooked meal for your family or friends.
2. Send someone a surprise in the post. There’s something about receiving even a simple hand-written note that’s so much more personal than any form of electronic communication.
3. Create a playlist.
4. Smile at someone you don’t know well in your workplace and start a conversation.
5. Do one of the household chores when it’s someone else’s turn.
6. Share something that made you laugh out loud with someone else.
7. Craft a simple hand-made present. If you’re not usually known for your art skills, so much the better!
8. If your parents or grandparents are not very proficient users of technology or social media, help them to get in touch with their old friends.
9. Teach someone something.
10. Take someone who you know would enjoy it (perhaps an elderly person or someone you haven’t spent time with recently) out on a drive.
It seems to me that, taken in its broadest sense, Make Gifts for People (and indeed, not just for people, but for anything else that we choose) is the answer to a lot of questions:
How can I bring more happiness into the world?
What can I do when I’m bored or worried or frustrated?
What thought can give me a reason to wake up in the morning?
The list of potential things you can give is endless. Here are some starting points:
1. Prepare a home-cooked meal for your family or friends.
2. Send someone a surprise in the post. There’s something about receiving even a simple hand-written note that’s so much more personal than any form of electronic communication.
3. Create a playlist.
4. Smile at someone you don’t know well in your workplace and start a conversation.
5. Do one of the household chores when it’s someone else’s turn.
6. Share something that made you laugh out loud with someone else.
7. Craft a simple hand-made present. If you’re not usually known for your art skills, so much the better!
8. If your parents or grandparents are not very proficient users of technology or social media, help them to get in touch with their old friends.
9. Teach someone something.
10. Take someone who you know would enjoy it (perhaps an elderly person or someone you haven’t spent time with recently) out on a drive.