Still Thinking of a Gift?
by Ngozi Osuagwu, MD | December 15th, 2019

I love Indian food. One of my favorite dishes that I order from the Indian restaurant is Aloo chole (chickpea and potato curry). When I told my friend, she offered to make the dish and bring it to my house. I told her that I would love to learn how to make the dish. She came over to my house and we cooked together. We also made basmati rice. I then added my spin to the meal by frying plantain. We cooked, ate and talked. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Her gift to me this holiday season was a gift of time and a new dish that I can now add to my recipe repertoire. My Aloo chole tasted better than anything I have ordered in the restaurant.
This was a reminder that some of the best gifts that we can give to those that we love do not have to be bought in the store or online. Here are some thoughts:
- Teach a friend a new recipe – If there is a food item that you make that everyone loves, maybe you can teach another person how to make it.
- Teach a friend a new dance – I was having trouble doing the two step in the ‘The Git Up’ dance. I had my daughter and nephew spend the time teaching me.
- Share a book – if you have a book that you finished reading and you loved the book, share with a friend. I think a book gets its full worth when more than one person reads the book.
- Invite a friend to ‘your world’ – I belong to Toastmasters International. When I was talking to one of my friends about Toastmasters International, he did not know anything about it but wanted to know more so I invited him to one of the meetings. You can invite a friend to your book club or any club that you participate.
- Call five people in your contact list – No texting – let them hear your voice. Tell them how much they mean to you.
Looking for more ideas, check out the previous blog in 2015 – A Gift of Time.