GIFT (FMF31 2019 Day 2)

I am participating in 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes 2019 (all of my submissions can be found here).

Today’s prompt is: GIFT

I *love* giving gifts. I love pretty much everything about the process. Picking just the right thing, trying to get the wrapping right (I’ll never be a professional wrapper), the anticipation of presenting the item to the recipient.

There are other types of gifts we can give that don’t require fancy bows, glossy paper, or finding the tape (why is it always missing when we need it anyway?)

I’m a bit at max capacity for new things to take on. Between work, my blogging/social media life, volunteer obligations, some help my dad needs and other obligations, my free hours are few and far between.

When an acquaintance asked me to look at some of their writing recently, I rather immediately (internally) went into “how on earth can I do one more thing?” mode. I pictured reams of manuscript such as the ones proofreading clients give me when they turn their books over to me.

I pictured all the social media advice floating around in PR circles that generally have the theme “letting someone pick your brain costs you money because it’s time you could be making money — gently tell them no.”

I stopped catastrophizing for one flat second and asked my friend if it was 400 pages or 400 words?

FOUR PAGES.

I can do this. So many people have given me the gift of their time to provide (unpaid) feedback on my writing.

It’s my turn. And I don’t need to find the tape to give this gift.