My friend Brian was born, I’m pretty sure, with a little more “do good” in him than most of us. So when he sent me a note about giving some things away, I just smiled.
He got the little book 5 Ways you can Do Good, printed it out (!) and read it. He said “several things resonated” with him, and much of that had to do with giving. Here’s a sampling.
Once upon a time Brian had been a jeweler. With a good eye, a steady hand, and a creative mind, he and his wife had built quite a business. But the jewelry business was more his wife’s thing than his, and when she left this world several years ago for a far better one, he gave it up and started a different business with his son.
Making Tattoo Machines
A few years ago, he said, “I met a young man whose job was making tattoo machines, of which he was a BIG user. Well, he had decided to teach himself to be a jeweler, not a small task, but he did have experience with building the tat machines. Within a few months, he had become a very accomplished, highly talented, creative perfectionist jeweler, doing things I had never seen before, superior to jewelers that worked for me with many years of experience, and formal training.
From Tats to Turquoise
So, ta da, I gave him my lifelong collection of jewelry tools, and a large batch of turquoise stones I had hoarded. He continues to improve, and is making a name for himself. What a joy to give him tools that could have gone in the dumpster when I passed.”
The Result of Giving Things Away
There were more “give it away” stories in Brian’s email, and I’ll write about those in another post, but they all have this in common: the gifts made the recipients happy, but giving all that stuff away gave Brian joy.
So who got the most from those gifts?
