Tis the season to give!

Yes, tis the season to give! Or really the season of, 'how broke do I want to be after the Christmas of the not so great year of 2020?' Who gets what, who gets nothing, how much, or how little? Now I am a pretty frugal man, but this year Scrooge has nothing on me!

I went through my fairly short list of recipients and I felt pretty much done. Then I thought of one more person. Should I include her or not? I haven't seen her much lately, but she is very special to me.

Technically, she is an old friend of the family. She owned a music store near us when I was 13 and my mom bought my first guitar from her. I took lessons for a few years at her shop and we kept in touch once I moved and went on to music college. Once I graduated she offered me a teaching position, which I jumped at! I made a bulk of my living there for over 20 year. It allowed me to buy a house and raise a family, so to say I owe her is the biggest understatement I could type!

Not to mention she gives a tremendous amount to others and has continued to give a tremendous amount to me over the last 30 years. And, I know for a fact her and her small business are having a very hard time right now. Without question I need to include her!

I write out the card, put a $20 spot in there, put it in the envelope, and set it aside. So then yesterday, 12-18-2020 to be exact, I needed to go to her store to pick up some boxes I had delivered there. I get ready, grab the card, and I'm out the door. But wait! My mind is delaying my travel. Had I given her enough money? I am very perplexed with this thought. I'm not sure why? I had already decided it was going to be a very lean Christmas this year, so?

I really don't have a lot to give, but she could use it. I decide its enough and started to head her way. I actually got in my car and was driving, but stopped and turned around. I sat with the engine running for a bit contemplating. It just wasn't enough. So, I take the card back inside to remedy the situation. Luckily I just folded the envelope closed and didn't lick it. I'm not sticking my tongue on anything nowadays.

I thought about the amount. Struggled with the amount! How much, how much? I finally just used the nice round number of $100. I knew she would appreciate any amount from me regardless. Just the card would be enough, but she deserves the best. So, I once again drove to get my stuff, secretly dropped the card on her computer keyboard, wished her a Merry Christmas, and left.

I felt good. I had done the right thing. I didn't need the praise or recognition. I just wanted to feel good about my decision, and I did. Half hour later or so I got the, 'Thank you! That was very generous' text. And I assume there were probably some tears in her eyes. I know how she is and I had seen them before.

And what do you know, today I see this writers challenge on Vocal. An opportunity to practice my writing, tell a true story that literally happened the day before this writing, and a chance to win some money. Which will really help me out in these challenging times. But regardless of the outcome, I did what I did out of the kindness of my heart, which I don't always find, and I didn't know about the challenge yesterday so... karma? Do you believe? I was proud of myself. Maybe I made someone's Christmas a bit more merry.

Merry Christmas to all. And to all, good writing.