A while ago I was hanging out with a close friend and our conversation turned to what presents really make us feel “loved”. She told me that the most moving gift she’d ever received were letters from her friends before she moved away from Canada.

“I liked reading what they had to say about me. It really made me feel like they cared.”

I like how our conversation and this prompt coincide and acknowledge the same thing: gifts don’t need to be expensive in order to have value to us. In fact, the most valuable gifts are those where they are unique to us.

After our conversation, I started to question- why do we care about personal presents more than general materials? What do the best relationships and gifts offer to us?

As humans, we seek to feel acceptance in general social settings, however from personal relationships we seek more than that. We don’t just want to feel acceptance; we want to be accepted.

The difference comes down to the people in each group: in a general social setting, most of the people there only really know what we show of ourselves. On the other hand, those closer to us know more of our gritty, positive, negative, annoying, etc parts of us. It means more when a close one accepts us for all that we are because it’s no longer a superficial feeling but now a true concept.

Really, all we want from such presence and acceptance is to feel special or irreplaceable. We want to feel secure in our place amongst this group we care about. The best presents satisfy this social need and gives us reassurance.

So, to answer the prompt, I’d say the best inexpensive objects that mean a lot to me are:

• Journals (for obvious reasons)
• Letters/cards
• Handpicked flower(s)
• KinderJoy chocolates

What makes you feel special and loved? Why? Reflecting on this question can help us determine how we tend to receive love and presents!

Till next time,

Moesha.

This is a repeat post btw ❤