The PERFECT Gift

Last week, an unexpected and belated fortieth birthday gift arrived on my doorstep. It came from my friend Cindy who became my instant best friend when I moved to Oregon, some thirty years ago. Cindy will probably kill me for

1. pointing out the fact that we're old enough to have a friend for over thirty years and...
2. posting this photo of us...

 Unfortunately it was the only photo I could find without going deep into the archives. I shall preempt most of her complaints by telling you this was NOT an everyday picture of us, we were actually dressed up in country costume (although the costume may not be too far from the truth!).

Just days before Cindy's own 40th birthday, she mailed a gift.  Inside was the most PERFECT birthday gift ever...dare I say I've never seen anyone own anything like it, but I'll let Cindy explain.

Cindy will now be my first official "guest blogger".  Here are excerpts from the letter inside the box...

"I know this letter may come as a surprise given my history of avoiding written communication in the form of letter writing, no to mention blogging, tweeting, etc. as much as possible without causing offense.  So, you may need to find a chair and sit down while you read this to avoid undue stress on your aging organs.

Well, the reason for my letter is simply to wish you a belated birthday.  I've been thinking about you this summer and anticipating your birthday but not knowing exactly what to get a friend who has it all.  Contemplating what is the perfect gift for someone who has earned many titles to date including  friend, wife, mother, mother-in-law, and now grandmother lurking just around the corner.  At this time, nearly three weeks has passed since the anticipated birthday even had come and gone and still I was at a loss.

It was in this state of mind that I found myself standing in the Nordstrom gift department several weeks ago (I must mention here that Cindy works for Nordstrom)...I was secretly trying to find just the perfect gift...at a clearance/employee discounted price which would be concealed...until the item was returned or exchanged at a later date when...undoubtedly it would be disappointing to discover the item's cash value was far less than anticipated.  I surveyed the racks for possibilities...I reluctantly decided to abandon the ill-fated shopping trip...

 As I exited by yet another table strewn with overpriced, bejeweled frames, something so simple yet so compelling caught my eye.  Really, the juxtaposition of the two items on the table left me wondering if the sales person had any idea what statement he or she were making when they laid out these two items on display.   I stopped to consider what at first appeared to be discarded portions of a cardboard box,  perhaps forgotten when a pair of aging Jr. League ladies stopped in to purchase overpriced, Swarovski crystal studded ceramic food dish for their pet chihuahuas.  Upon further investigation, the plain, accordion folded cardboard objects were exactly what I had been looking for all summer!  It turns out, the PERFECT GIFT for a lifetime friend who has everything, it is so simple it borders on ridiculous.  The perfect gift for my now 40 year old friend is a cardboard vase that can also be worn as a hat!  It meets all the requirements:

• Environmentally Friendly-  It is made of recycled cardboard so you can proudly wear it downtown Ashland without fear of attack by environmental enthusiasts.
  

• Chic- Strait off the runway, appropriate in both Manhattan and Lithia parks
  

• Unique- You will be the first one wearing it in the Rogue Valley.  Perhaps even some aspiring entrepreneur will see you in it and be inspired to reopen Rare Earth and become a millionaire.
  

• Multifunctional- Fashion for your head and home.  when you come home from picking the kids up at baseball practice, and you have only 20 minutes until your dinner party guest arrive, simply remove the hat and place it on the table.  Add a handful of tulips and you have the perfect center piece.  Don't add water.
  

• Clever- Acquaintances will be so stunned by your appearance, they will forget to ask how old you just turned and you will be spared all the "over-the-hill" cliches.
  

• Funny- Need I say more?

Oh Cindy!  THANK YOU!  I am...well...speechless!  And, that my friend, is quite an accomplishment!

Here's my lovely hat/vase...I had the perfect flowers to display in it;  some beautiful duct tape roses made by Mitchell, no water needed for these beauties...

And here I am wearing my lovely hat/vase:

Jealous?  I thought so...I shall proudly wear this to the elementary school's open house this week.  Very posh.  The other mother's will be corrugated with envy!

Now...what to get for Cindy?