Do you have a friend or family member who is just crazy about their pet? If so, I have a great gift idea for you. It’s pawsitively heartwarming … and doesn’t cost a dime!
I was lucky enough to stumble across a photo earlier today — that one to the left of a beautiful woman and her oh-so-adorable dog in birthday hats! Well, that photo reminded me of the gift that went along with it.
Here’s the story:
I had plans one day to meet a good friend, Elina, at happy hour to celebrate her birthday. It was 8:30am and I still hadn’t thought of a meaningful gift.
Elina is a minimalist who doesn’t want a lot of useless stuff and so I was trying to think of a non-material way to express my love for her that I haven’t done before.
Right before I sat down to meditate, I asked the Universe to please tell me what Elina might want. Literally as the meditation bell was rung, the gift idea dropped in: interview her about her elderly best buddy, Lola, the dog she has loved for 13 years.
After meditation was over, I printed up a photo from Facebook of Elina and Lola and I Photoshopped birthday hats on them. Then I came up with a bunch of questions. I created a “gift certificate” that said I wanted to help Elina remember all the things she loves about Lola and to have a chance to tell her favorite stories about someone she loves so much.
I brought my iPhone and a small lavalier microphone to our happy hour cafe and used the Voice Memo app on the phone to record our conversation. (In most situations you wouldn’t even need a mic. I just knew it would be loud where we were meeting!)
Elina was so touched. She started crying as soon as she read my gift note about what I wanted to do. She said, “No one understands how much I love Lola. No one knows how much I love to tell the stories about my life with her. I want her to live more great years with me, but someday when she dies, I will have this interview of all the things I love about her to keep her spirit alive.”
It was the perfect gift for Elina. And the gift idea was a gift to me. I certainly didn’t think it up! It may have been one of the most instantaneous examples of manifestation I’ve ever had!
So, I tell you this story as an example of an amazing gift for someone who has a beloved furry or feathered family member. But I also tell it to you as a reminder that we use our intuition (and patience!) to let life help us with gift ideas. Sometimes simply spending some time thinking of someone we love and asking for life to drop in an idea really works.
As always, if you try this idea, let me know, okay? Comment below the blog!
Seek celebration— even in the dark corners,
xo
Sherry
P.S. Here are a few questions to help you get started on your interview: “How did you meet your beloved pet?” “What are some of your favorite stories of times you’ve spent together?” “Are there any funny stories about her?” “What best exemplifies your pet’s spirit/personality?” “Has your pet ever done anything extraordinary?” “What are the ways that he has changed your life?” “If she were a person, what would her career be?” “If he could talk, what would he want to say?”
P.P.S. How cool is this? When I texted my friend, Elina, to get her permission to use this photo + story, she said, “Yes! And it is perfect timing! It is Lola’s 14th birthday.” So we can all send cheery birthday greetings to the lovely Lola, who has a birthday today! Woof!
P.P.P.S. Elina is the talented and amazing milliner who makes most of the hats I wear. Check out her Etsy store! You’ll love her wearable art!