All Around My Island

Last Saturday, as I began to tackle the arduous task before me, a thought occurs to me that I am not alone in my plight. Surely, everyone has at least one relative with the same glitch as my own. Right? Personally, I have married a man who brought with him four such individuals who possess this hiccup…each one is excruciatingly difficult to buy for! There are numerous reasons why these individuals cause shoppers gift giving grief: possibly, they have no specific interests or hobbies, they may be painfully picky, or (as is my case) they already have the best of everything.

With the ridiculously difficult, if not impossible, mission to tackle before meeting the fam for dinner at 5:30, I pop open the lap top and commence with step one: online window shopping. I’m sure a thought has occurred to most of you at this point, “Why not just buy a gift card?” Well, unfortunately, despite the fact that I am a procrastinator, I am not a gift card giver. Ironically, I love nothing more than to receive a Barnes and Noble gift card myself, but when it comes to buying for others, I just can’t do it. I like to have something to wrap and make intriguing and beautiful and I feel that gift cards lack the personal touch. After an hour of useless surfing, I concede defeat, click the top of the computer closed, and hop in the shower.

With no other option, I begin wandering aimlessly through a department store in hopes that inspiration will strike. At the very least, I can walk out with a book (my tried and true back up gift idea). I find myself gazing at wine goblets and decanters when my husband approaches. With a little persuasion, I convince him that the decanter is the best idea we’ve come across and our time is running out.

After a typical, slightly awkward, dinner, a few games of shuffleboard and a piece of cake back up at the house, we present my father-in-law with the colorful bag and perfectly coordinated tissue paper that are concealing his birthday gift. His reaction is one of delight (or at least it appears that way) and I feel as though I have successfully survived another occasion.

On the drive home, as I reflect on the evening, I ponder the importance of sincere thoughtfulness. Would my father-in-law have been equally as grateful if I had just phoned it with a box of golf balls or a gift card? Of course, it is, after all, the thought that counts. However, without putting any consideration behind it I doubt my heart would feel as full. Though my efforts may fall short of the desired outcome the next time around (they certainly have in the past), I have faith that if I continue to make my purchases with thoughtful consideration , each “arduous task” will feel as though it is a successful one.