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I’m realising more and more that one of the ways that I am truly abundant is in my friendships.
Last night we went to my friend Trish’s place for dinner. She offered to have us over while my husband Neil is away (he’s not back until December). We love catching up, but last night was I think her way of making sure we were okay.
It was a lovely family meal. She understood the sorts of things that my kids ate, and also the sorts of things I eat (and don’t eat) on a diet. We could have chatted all night, the way that good friends do.
I met Trish online back around 2006 o 2007. We’re still working it out. We were both members of the Simple Savings forum, and it turns out we have a lot of mutual friends in common. Trish shares similar frugal values – in fact, she’s a bit of a frugal mentor for me. Over dinner, she was telling me all about the things she is giving and receiving in her Buy Nothing group. She gets so much pleasure from being part of her community.
Scrabble
A few months ago, my Neil noticed Trish had put a call out online in a forum for a dictionary to play Scrabble. We love Scrabble (Neil calls it Squabble). Like most board games, I get quite competitive at Scrabble. Thankfully, he still loves me although there is a limit to how many games he will play with me.
Anyway, Neil noticed that Trish wanted a Scrabble dictionary. We had two – and also a Derryn HInch guide to winning at Scrabble. Who on earth would someone have two Scrabble dictionaries, you might ask? Well, we used to have our own households and now we have combined. We are finding we have two lots of a lot of things.
Trish is still playing Scrabble, but not as much. Turns out she went from playing with grandkids in the school holidays to becoming seriously addicted (her words) to online Scrabble. I guess there are worse things to be addicted to!
Backyard boundy
Not only did Trish have me over for dinner, but I came home with a bag of homegrown rocket and radishes as well. She has such a lovely vegetable patch. Her husband, Bob, built some upright boxes next to the fence and that has transformed an otherwise probably unused corner of her backyard into an edible oasis.
Joyful Giving
As you can probably see from this post, I’m receiving so much more than giving in terms of my relationship with Trish. And I’m receiving with gratitude. But in terms of items for my tally:
- Collins Scrabble Dictionary
- The Ultimate Guide to Winning Scrabble by Derryn Hinch