Day 176. The 1st of March

   Today I had such a special day:) It felt like I stepped in a dream and I was walking around in amazement in a land of fairies. Everywhere I looked I was surrounded by beautiful spring flowers. Snowdrops, hyacinths and tulips, a sea of color and perfume:) Wow! And it was the 1st of March. Such a festive day! It made everything more intense and more springy:)

   At the kindergarten children were all wearing cute cartoon character trinkets. I loved seeing their faces light up when talking about them and proudly associating them with spring:) Everybody was so happy while working on their little gifts for their mothers while spring songs could be heard everywhere. Spring decorations were hanging in the halls and in the classrooms and everyone was giving away and receiving mărțișoare:) I received some myself. The kids were sooo adorable while giving them to me:) One of the little ones said: "Have a lovely spring and thank you for taking care of me." Awww!:) 

   Then, after coming home my cousin gave me this beautiful handmade mărțișor (in the photo). These are the ones I appreciate the most. The ones kids make with their own hands. They have so much more meaning:)

   And this is what spring is all about. JOY! The joy of coming back to life and enjoying nature and its wonders. Spring is definitely THE season. My season:) I'm in love again:)

Day 87. About gifts

   Gifts are such a sensitive theme to approach. Especially when you're not skilled in gift giving. Here are some rules that I thought about today while trying to find the perfect gift for a friend:

1. We should give presents for the right reason. Don't just do it because "you have to, cos it's his/her birthday" or "because he/she gave me something first". Do it because you WANT to. Because you want to make the other person happy. 

2. Then, find the right gift: something meaningful... not too pricey (we know you want to surprise him/her but don't just overdo it) nor too cheap (let's face it, you better handcraft something yourself than buying a cheap thing made in China). 

3. The right gift also involves knowing the person you're preparing it for. That's right. You have to know what he/she LIKES. If you don't know the person that well, ask for help. Ask his/her friends, family or colleagues. Just ask. Or search it on his/her FB page. It always shows a lot of things you might not be aware of. That's one of the benefits Facebook brings: knowing the others better. 

4. After you found a gift that the person might be happy about and you buy it be careful about wrapping it up nicely. We all like some extra attention on the details (ok, maybe just girls). Even if it's a small gift it will receive a better perspective if it has a beautiful wrapping:) 

5. If somehow you just can't find the right gift for someone, DON'T buy what YOU would like to receive. Bad, bad call! Exception: when you know the two of you have common passions. Otherwise, the person will only feel insulted. Be careful about the other person's feelings. It matters a lot:) 

6. Some people like useful gifts... something practical not something to stare at (like Christmas decorations). Others like handmade gifts. Be careful about that too.

   Gift giving might seem a tough job but it can turn into a challenging yet entertaining problem solving situation if we want to. One that helps us learn things about life and people.

   In my case it's fun. I admit it's hard at first if I don't know the person so well and I struggle a lot to find the perfect gift, but in the end I'm satisfied with the decision. 
   My friends and I played Secret Santa the other day so now I have a nice, new challenge ahead:) I can't wait to make my friend happy:)