My Intuition Blog Experiment: Birthday Wrap

It's Week 38, Day 2 of my blog experiment and last night, I was wrapping birthday presents for my son. He was asleep and I was downstairs but still, I tried to be quiet so he wouldn't hear the rustle of wrapping paper or the screeching sound that Scotch tape makes when you pull it too hard. For me, there's a lot of ritual in wrapping presents. Ever since I was little, it has been an activity done in seclusion because the secret of gift-giving is half the fun. But, it's more than that. 

Wrapping has changed with the migration to bags instead of traditional rolled paper. And, I still don't know how to make a traditional bow. Believe me, I've tried but I don't have the patience for it. I'm a fan of the changes but I think there is something ritualistic about the effort put into wrapping a gift for someone you love or care about or want to thank. Think about what runs through your mind the next time you wrap a gift. You might recall memories of holidays past or you might just picture the person's expression when they open what you had to give. There's joy in the process.

Yesterday, before I wrapped those birthday gifts I mentioned earlier, I was shopping in Target with my daughter for a Detroit Lions sweatshirt for my son. He was asleep on my shoulder and we hurried through the store so he wouldn't see what was going on under his nose. My daughter said, "Mom, this is the perfect time to shop because he has no idea what we are getting for him!" She made me smile even though I felt the weight of a snoozing child, getting heavier by the minute and sweat was starting to roll down my back as I juggled my purse, my kid, and the sweatshirt dangling off of my pinkie finger. I knew she was right and grinned all the way to the checkout line. Everything we could possibly celebrate about a birthday was wrapped up in my child sweetly snoozing on my shoulder, a surprise gift in hand and my daughter understanding the joy of anticipation.