Shortly after my birthday last year I wrote a column about gifts. It was the 11th in my 70-part-and-counting series if you are wondering, and you probably aren’t, but I’m pretty proud of the fact that I’ve pumped out 70 of these things (admittedly some better than others) so I’m telling you anyway.
Specifically, I said now that I was an adult, things like a year’s supply of toilet paper or a year’s supply of hand soap or dishwasher soap or laundry soap (or any soap really…) would be the ideal gift. For me anyway. I’m practical like that.
I just want to tell you that I did not get one single roll of toilet paper after that declaration of my love for household staples. I didn’t get one single bar of soap or Tide pod either.
I’m OK with that so please don’t write to me telling me I’m a horrible person.
Fast forward more than a year to my 66th column, which ran Oct. 19, I believe. It was about a nine-year-old who was seeking Tim Hortons hockey card collectors to trade with for the simplest, purest reasons: trading is fun, he wanted to complete his collection, and making new friends is never a bad thing.
Like me, he put what he was after out to the universe.
Unlike me, he got it. This town really knows when to make a difference and I love that about you.
The response I got to that story was pretty cool. I got calls from folks who wanted to connect with him to trade or who wanted to simply bolster his card collection by giving him their cards.
I even got two calls from people wanting to give him parts of their own significant non-Tim Hortons hockey card collections. (Like from proper collectors! The kind whose cards are worth money and stuff!)
I know his parents both fielded their share of calls and offers as well.
When I told you all what I thought the best gift was for me, appropriately, you took no action because you know I can take care of that myself. (In fact I think I told you as much in that column — I did. I just fact checked my own self.)
But, when I told you all about what young Bradaigh Bridger-Taft was after, you all stepped up.
It was heartwarming.
It wasn’t about anything but the joy of collecting for him. It was about making friends and connecting with people and having some new experiences. And he has. Through a new trading partner, Bradaigh was able to tour a fire hall and, after casually mentioning a job he’d one day like to have, he’s been offered an opportunity to shadow somebody who has that job.
Those experiences have proved more valuable than the potential monetary value of any cards being offered to him.
But let us not forget his ultimate goal was to obtain specific cards for his collection. I am happy to report Bradaigh only needs a few more cards to complete his collection.
Social media gets blamed pretty much every day for being a platform from which people can spew hate from behind the relative safety of their computers or devices and I agree, there is plenty of that. Sadly, you don’t have to look very hard to find it. But social media can also bring people together in the most wonderful ways, like in Bradaigh’s case. Likewise for Sunday Sandwiches, a group that formed on Facebook after it was recognize there was a need to feed the hungry on Sundays because the local soup kitchen is closed that day. It’s their first anniversary this Sunday.
So I guess it all boils down to what you are looking for on social media. Because good or bad you will find it.
I’m choosing to look for the good.
sarah.simpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter