Comments on: The Open Mind Test – Part 2: A Great Teacher, A Little Philosophy, and A Whole Lot of Love

By: Eric Watermolen

Eric Watermolen — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:39:54 +0000

Jack, I like the way you handle your gift giving. It seems as though you have done away with the obligatory gift giving in favor of inspired gift giving. I bet there is more meaning in the gifts you choose when you approach it in this manner.

By: Jack

Jack — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:10:40 +0000

I do a variation on this. I consider myself to have two gift obligations in the entire year, one to my parents and the other to a single sibling as we all draw names. Both of those are Christmas gifts. Other than that I only buy for those I’m inspired to buy for. Last year I bought the two mentioned gifts and the rest of my Christmas spending actually was on my lover. I had no issue with it. I don’t feel like I owe anyone a present. Even the gift for my parents and the one sibling isn’t truly obligatory, but I like the tradition. I have 11 nieces and nephews and sometimes they get gifts, sometimes they don’t. Same goes for all my friends.

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Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:03:09 +0000

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By: The Open Mind Test – Part 3: Our Purpose in Life — Eden Journal

The Open Mind Test – Part 3: Our Purpose in Life — Eden Journal — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:58:06 +0000

[...] challenged my open mindedness. This is part 3 in a 4 part series. Be sure to read part 1 and part 2 if you haven’t [...]

By: Eric Watermolen

Eric Watermolen — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:59:08 +0000

Anastasiya, I feel the same, it would be so easy to just purchase gifts for my daughter and no one else. You also hit on an item, regarding spending time with others, and even combining that with your gift. A Carribean vacation with the ones I love would be an amazing gift.

Julie, One small gift and a lot of time spent together… Got it, we’ll see you at Christmas time (and probably several times before then.) You hit on a similar point to Anastasiya, that time is more valuable than physical gifts. I’ve been feeling that more and more myself lately, especially as free time is seems more and more scarce lately.

Evelyn,
Good point on the thought and creativity put into the gift. I feel that we sometimes overlook this on both sides, as the giver and the receiver.

By: Evelyn Lim

Evelyn Lim — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:04:50 +0000

I would prefer to make some allowance for the smaller gifts to others in the hypothetical situation of having a singular person with whom I so cherished. Additionally, it is not about how much a gift cost but whether we have put thought and creativity into how we wish to express our love.
Evelyn Lim´s last blog ..Awakening Into Awareness

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:29:29 +0000

As the recipient of such a gift, I might wonder who was left out and then feel guilty about it. To me a gift of self would show me more love than my loved one spending his whole budget on me. I guess I value time spent with a person more than the value of gifts. I would love and respect someone more if they found a special way to share themselves or if they gave a small gift that had some thought in it than an expensive (to them) gift. I guess the older I get the less I need big gifts but rather to know that I am thought of in a special way at this time of year.

By: Anastasiya

Anastasiya — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:49:57 +0000

I think that I can shift the focus in the question a little bit. Considering that I am a mom now, I think that two little people who I love more than anything else in this world are my daughters. I could definitely spend the entire Christmas budget on them and my husband would too.
If I didn’t have kids, probably not. I would have to share this budget between two people: my husband and my mom. I would not care much about giving presents to people who are not too close to me. Actually my ideal present would be a trip to one of the Caribbean islands. I could take people I love the most on this trip and we would enjoy our time together away from the hustle and bustle of the world.
Anastasiya´s last blog ..A Simple Way to Nourish Your Body and Soul without Spending a Dime