This essay by Robin Wall Kimmerer is amazing. For me it really bought home that fact that I feel like I hoard. Not like I should be on the TV show but I keep things that I don’t need because I might run out one day. I buy extra food just in case and because I can afford to.
She discusses the idea of gratitude and how a gift as wonderful as sweet serviceberries, or Saskatoons, should be reciprocated. Should it be a gift back to nature, or a gift forward such as sharing the service berries with a neighbor who makes a pie which is shared with more of their community. As I am a knitter, I particularly appreciated this:
“A wooly knit hat that you purchase at the store will keep you warm regardless of its origin, but if it was hand knit by your favorite auntie, then you are in relationship to that “thing” in a very different way: you are responsible for it, and your gratitude has motive force in the world. You’re likely to take much better care of the gift hat than the commodity hat, because it is knit of relationships.”
This year I am thinking about how can I show more gratitude and reciprocate my gifts, instead of hoarding. I am especially thinking about how I can share my education, my knowledge, and access to resources.
Anyone want a hat?