Soup and Strawberries

In her book Braiding Sweetgrass, writer Robin Wall Kimmerer writes about wild strawberries… “It was a gift that could never be bought.”

I am more aware than ever that if you want to gift something, make it yourself.

What can’t be bought?

Made-ness. Intention-ness. Made with your own energy, attention, intention, and time.

What happens when I make soup for the people I love? When I ask my Mom for the recipe? When I go looking for the right ingredients over many days? When I adapt it to what I can find at an Iquiteñan market? When I spend a whole afternoon getting it right because I wanted to give a gift instead of making a purchase.

The gift was far more than the soup.

“Because they had given us a gift, an ongoing relationship opened between us” writes Kimmerer.

I am starting a business to sustain me. What of that in the context of gift-giving? What kind of gifts of time, energy, and attention can one give? How might one ultimately sustain oneself outside a transaction?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what makes a gift. Feel free to reply or message me to share your story or experience.