I’m a giver.
My friend C and I are often to be found at Old Street Cafe in Darlington, enjoying a coffee and scramblies on toast.
Maybe it’s a bit naff, but anyways they serve all their coffees with old souvenir spoons. It’s always a treat to discover which random Australian city, organisation or event your spoon will be commemorating. I often get Dubbo.
On a recent trip to Brisbane I popped into an antique store and picked up a rather pretty spoon celebrating St Stephens Church in Lidcombe. Random. Anyways, I bought it, and C and I gave it to the lovely Abby (who makes the lovely coffees at Old Street) and she was absolutely beside herself. She gushed so hard I thought it was a tsunami.
Turns out, giving a present to someone who is practically a stranger is an extraordinary experience for everyone. Same thing happened a few weeks ago when Bartender M left Freaky Tiki to go roadtripping. I gave him a little esky. He was genuinely touched. He’d been serving me for months and I barely knew him, but he always made me feel welcome. Same with Abby. I don’t know her. I don’t think she knows my name. But it’s nice to do something to make a stranger feel a little bit loved.
That’s why I’m a giver.
