Regifting brings joy. Remembering is a companion. And Re-discovery is an adventure.
Re-gifting Brings Joy
I'm not talking about scrambling last-minute to find something you own for a white elephant party (although that can be it's own kind of fun). I'm talking about re-gifting to yourself something you already own.
Does that sound crazy?
Last night, my son unwrapped a gift from a friend who follows Tony's story on Facebook. The gift was simple and practical, and full of all the snacks a toddler would LOOOVE.
(Sidenote, we have excellent friends).
This morning, he woke up, saw the empty gift bag, and said "again!"
So we made it a game.
I had him close his eyes. And I quickly wrapped a space book, a toy train, and a plastic screw.
His eyes LIT UP when he opened the gift. It was all things that were his. But it was as if they were receiving new VALUE as he SAW them again as GIFTS.
"AGAIN!" he said after round 2.
We played this game for 15 min (about right for 2 years old). And then we had a dance party.
But it got me thinking...
Regifting Brings Joy. And that feeling of WOWWW!
Questions:
What do I already own, or have that I could re-gift to myself?
Here's how it works:
1.Own it
2. Wrap it
3. Gift it
Do It For the Dopamine
We've all been through "Decluttering" stages. And no, that's not what I'm talking about here. I mean find something you already own (a card, a necklace, a food item, a tool, game, etc). But it has to be something you LOVE and don't use often.
Something that didn't hit that clutter pile, just got buried in a drawer, or put away for a special occasion.
Today is that special occasion. Do it for the joy. Do it for the dopamine, kids.
"There is a decent amount of research showing that the act of giving actually makes us feel better. Evidence from brain imaging also suggests that both giving gifts and receiving gifts activate core areas of our brain associated with reward and pleasure. These brain regions also stimulate the neurotransmitter dopamine." - Niranjana Rajalakshmi - University of Arizona
Remembering Is A Companion
When you're going through your potential gifts, you're going to run into a companion.
Memory or Remembering.
Sometimes remembering is really practical. If you're a caretaker or just a busy human, you may find that sometimes remembering takes walking back into a room. Or a certain smell to activate your memory of something specific. We hold our memory in more than our brains - we hold them in notebooks or planners, in spaces, in other people, and sometimes in movement or smells.
That's why inside jokes are so hilarious. It's like a closed-network exchange/storage system. You're literally sharing a memory with a small group or with 2 people. To the point where you can just say, "Remember that one time - with the red hat." AND all of you plugged into that memory will reexperience VIVIDLY, Viscerally and it will be funnier, or sadder, and a bit more saturated with life because of it.
Remembering is a companion. It walks with us. Making our yesterdays golden or grim. And sometimes that memory gets stored in a token. Or a sound. Or a shared movie. Or a smell.
Another phenomenological characteristic [odor-evoked autobiographical memories] is their subjective reliving, such memories often being associated with mental time travel and vivid recollection of remembered events (Berntsen and Hall 2004).
How can I re-gift myself a memory?
Questions:
What smells or sounds can you regift yourself today?
What inside jokes can I phone a friend about?
What tokens or small item can I carry with me to remember something wonderful?
Re-Discovery Is An Adventure
Have you ever gone back to visit someplace from your childhood? An old school. Or an old house.
Or sometimes an old friend.
You've grown. And changed. And how you see that place, or how you fit has changed too.
And this change is a rediscovery.
Not just a memory. But an opportunity for a new way of looking at something. A new way of relating to someone.
This is the gift of rediscovery.
You may look through clothes in storage. Or games. Or trophies. Or tools. And see a new use. A new project. A new plan.
Instead of the things in our lives becoming a memory or a mausoleum - where can we chart a course for rediscovery?
Where can I adventure to rediscover?
Questions:
What old places can become new?
What old friends can we reconnect with?
What old projects can I refresh? What dreams can I dust off, and start over?
I hope you all find the joys of regifting, remembering, and re-discovering.
Give yourself that gift.
Get that dopamine.
♥ Sue
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Living with hATTR
There is no current cure for Amyloidosis. But in the last 9 years, there are significant advancements in NEW medications that can slow the disease down, and change the story.
We believe that living with hATTR = living with hope.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
My name is Sue Skavlem.
I'm a visual messenger – not a doctor.*
My husband has Amyloidosis. And it took me a year of googling to understand what an "adult-onset multi-system genetic disease" was.
After learning that "Amyloids have the tensile strength of steel", I came up with the "Accumulating BBs Theory."
My hope is to promote awareness of the disease, update our friends & family on our journey, and create resources other families with hATTR can use.
*Information in this article is meant to inform, but is not medically reviewed, nor should it be used to self-diagnose. Please talk with a medical doctor about free genetic testing if you or a loved one may have hereditary Amyloidosis.
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