ALT-1 Top Ten Gifts
My initial reaction to the idea of "Top ten gifts you'd like to receive" was that I'd really like more wisdom, greater wit and a quicker response time to others' comments. On further thought, I realized that these particular gifts have to be learned and earned.
What I also discovered is that I don't want gifts that change the core of ME. I've worked at becoming who I am for over sixty years, and I know now that the best of me comes from within; it can't be handed over in a gift-wrapped package.
So, with that thought in mind, I've made my list of top ten gifts I'd like to receive. Rather than changing me, these items would support who I am.
1. Kitchen Aid mixer
I always loved to cook, but wasn't particularly good at it. Then, in the 1990s, I worked in a small cafe. Every food item was made from scratch, many with a Kitchen Aid mixer. It made food preparation quicker easier. It's more difficult for me to mix batters and to knead dough now, so I don't do it often. A Kitchen Aid would allow me to continue doing what I do well.
2. Restaurant gift certificates
As much as I love to cook, I enjoy eating out. Restaurants offer community. A place to eat, meet and greet. I'm particularly fond of ethnic restaurants where I can meet people originally from other countries and sample the foods they love.
3. Treadmill
After all this eating - at home and in restaurants - I'll need to exercise. When I walk outdoors, it's for pleasure and it's typically at a leisurely pace. I stop and look, stop and talk. I don't get very far, very fast. Combine a treadmill with movie watching, and I'll avoid becoming a coach potato.
4. Spa retreat
I've spent my life taking care of others. It's only in recent years that I've realized self-care is an important foundation to my living a long life as well as to enabling me to care for others. One recent step I've taken is monthly half-hour massages to relax muscles and lessen stress. Spa time would be an extension of my quest for extreme self-care.
5. Laptop computer
I have a desktop and when I travel, I miss the familiarity of my own computer. Plus, how nice it would be to have a computer that doesn't take up much office space.
6. Eileen Fisher wardrobe
Eileen Fisher clothes are not divided into one style for the young and one for the old. Any woman can wear any style. I love the cozy, simple, yet elegant look of her clothing.
7. Vacation in Japan
The country I've always dreamed of visiting. Although I'm sure there are many historic locations for touring in Japan, my real wish would be to visit with the people, in cities and the countryside.
8. $1-million winning lottery ticket
Not $100-million or $400-million, but $1-million! I'd want enough so that my daughter and son-in-law could put a down payment on a starter house for their family. The rest would be invested and the interest carefully doled out to my favorite non-profits, locally and nationwide. I give what I can, when I can and it would be such fun to give some great big amounts.
9. Ownership of a building
On a main business street in our community is a 3-story building that houses a rather seedy bar downstairs. The upper floors are empty and sorely in need of renovation. I'd like to own that building and create instant offices and conference rooms for business owners who normally work at home and occasionally need a meeting place, or for those who can't afford an entire office suite. There would be a shared receptionist and a shared copier, as well as month-to-month leases. This would provide small business owners with a cost efficient location and a professional image. I've been researching the idea, too, of doing the building all "green".
10. Houseboat
I was raised in Florida and spent most of my time at nearby Lake Joanna. It's where I found my greatest peace of mind as a child. Whatever wasn't quite right about any day was made bearable floating around in an inner tube or just sitting by the water's edge. At a very young age I decided to always stay connected to the water and decided I could best do that living on a houseboat.
I'd float down lazy rivers, tying up evenings underneath overhanging trees. I'd sit on the deck or the riverbank, sipping a glass of wine and writing on my laptop computer. And, just as I do here in my small hometown, I'd gather friends round for homemade meals or eat at local restaurants where I'd turn strangers into friends and talk of times past, realities of the present and dreams of the future.
Looking back a year after I originally compiled this wish list, I see that there have been small changes in my life. I now own a Kitchen Aid mixer and thoroughly enjoy it. I still frequent ethnic restaurants, even without gift certificates, and through my volunteering have made friends with many women from other countries who often bring their foods to our events. No treadmill yet, but I continue to walk outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. My massages continue. Finally, I bought a new computer though not a laptop.
It's fun to have dreams and desires as long as we're not caught up in them too much, too focused on the future. For my money (or lack of it!), I find it just as pleasurable to focus on the present and to enjoy the gifts of life that I already possess.
