Gifted Child

I am gifted.

No, wait. Let me be accurate.

I am extremely gifted.

Ahh…that’s better. I know it sounds like I am bragging…self-aggrandizing…hello, how does your head fit through normal-sized doors? But I’m not. Being gifted has very little to do with the person upon whom the gift is bestowed, but rather says more about the One giving the gift.

A true gift, in its purest sense, is given freely and without expectation of any return. Now some may expect various degrees of gratitude; others may expect reciprocation at a later date and still others may do it for acknowledgement by others or because it makes them feel good (Notice what a great person I am; I am so generous!) But it seems to me that when one is “gifting” another, those types of motives should not be present (insert rim shot here).

Let me list some of my many gifts:
· Born in the United States (I may have issues, but that is because I do love my country and want it to live up to its ideals).
· Born into a (loving for the most part!) middle class family (great childhood).
· Had opportunities to and received a quality education.
· Am free of student loans thanks to parents helping to fund the aforementioned education, which gives me the freedom to choose jobs that may not be financially lucrative, but are fulfilling and meaningful to me.
· Opportunities to travel the U.S. and the world and experience different peoples and cultures.
· Grew up in a church family where it was okay to make mistakes and try new things (they’d love you anyway) and stepping out in faith was encouraged.
· Enough discretionary income to indulge in things I love like eating out, going to movies, museums, concerts and the like.

And baby, that’s just the beginning. Already it’s an embarrassment of riches.

Yet, I like to complain…lament. (Luckily God still loves whiners). It just feels so good – cathartic, even. But like Los Angeles, it’s a good place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there (no offense to Los Angelians…but seriously, wouldn’t you rather live in the Bay Area?) Anyway, it is good to remind myself just how gifted I am. Akin to counting my blessings, I guess. But more than just counting good stuff, it’s my recognition of just how much (or rather how little) I had to do with all of this.

And if it ended there, well, hopefully at the very least I would walk around with a better attitude and perspective, but that is not enough. Those of us lucky enough to be extremely gifted generally have the resources and wherewithal to share with others. I think that is why I connected with Hillary Clinton when during a debate she spoke about being blessed and given so much that she is compelled to give back. It did not come across as a feeling of largesse (which to me connotes pompously congratulating oneself for doling out crumbs to others at one’s whim) or even noblesse oblige (connoting duty or requirement). It came across as an excitement to share.

It reminds me of a story a conference speaker told about working with Mother Theresa in Calcutta. It was the birthday of a young boy whom the speaker had befriended. Since it was wicked hot (all of a sudden I’m from Boston?) and the area was so poverty stricken, the speaker opted to buy this boy an ice cream cone in celebration. He said the boy’s eyes grew huge, and he immediately yelled, “We got ice cream!” Then the boy lined up his friends and excitedly announced, “Everybody gets a lick!” And everyone did.

That kind of innocent joy instinctively shared is what I’m talking about. You don’t think about how so-and-so never gave you candy when he or she had some…or that now there is less ice cream for you…or any of that stuff. He had an awesome gift and he was going to share it with others.

Why can’t I be more like that?

“Everybody, we got ice cream!”