Beautiful Things

I used to struggle with finding the right gift.

Sometimes I would miss giving something altogether because I couldn't figure out what felt right and eventually I would just give up. Other times, it felt like a win just to get the gift into their hands. I had found something I felt good about, I got it to them, and that was enough.

I really didn't think very much about what happened before they actually opened it.

I didn't think about the packaging or the experience of receiving something beautiful. I didn't think about the fact that the anticipation of a gift starts before you ever see what's inside.

I've come to realize how much all of those little details matter.

There is something different about being handed something beautiful. Before you even open it, you know someone paid attention. The paper, the ribbon, the box, the way everything is tucked inside. None of those things change what the actual gift is, but somehow they make it feel more special.

They tell the person receiving it that you didn't just get them something. You thought about the whole experience of giving it to them.

Maybe that's one of the things I've learned from owning a gifting business that I didn't expect to learn. I've started paying attention to those details in a completely different way. Not because everything needs to be perfect, but because I think there is value in making ordinary things beautiful.

Create beauty in the world. Surround yourself with little beautiful things and see what happens.

When you start doing that, you start noticing beauty more. You notice the flowers you might have walked past before. You notice the trees and the way the light hits them. You notice a beautiful table, a pretty package, a candle burning in the corner, or something small sitting on a shelf that simply makes you happy when you look at it.

There is already so much beauty around us. Sometimes I think we just need to slow down enough to notice it.

That's changed the way I think about giving gifts too. I used to think getting the gift there was enough. Now I think the care you put into giving it is part of the gift too.

— Suni