Pass It On

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We bought a pretty set of china plates at a yard sale when the kids were younger. It was a season when we were delivering lots of meals and goodies to people we knew, and I was tired of trying to make paper plates sturdy enough for delivery. We bought a set so we could give them away.

We used those plates for cupcakes, brownies, and meals that needed to travel from our kitchen to someone else’s home. When I handed one over, I could say, “Don’t worry about bringing the plate back. Pass it on.”

I’m happy to report that we passed along every one of them. I didn’t need those plates to come back to me. I loved that. I didn’t need cookies in return for cookies I sent. The plate carried an invitation. Receive what is here. Enjoy it. Then when you have something to offer, let send it along.

Robin Wall Kimmerer writes in The Serviceberry about reciprocity as keeping a gift in motion, rather than returning it directly to the person who gave it. The gift moves through a community, building connection as it goes.

Receiving is part of that process too.

There are times when we need the dinner, the encouragement, the ride, the quiet place to sit, or the person who shows up without asking us to be cheerful about it. In those moments, we can simply receive the gift. Later, when we have something to offer, we can keep the gift moving.

We’ve been watching that happen all month.

In Thank You, Omu!, Omu shares her stew one bowl at a time. By the end of the day, her pot is empty, but the generosity has traveled through the neighborhood. It returns as people, food, celebration, and community.

Kimmerer’s serviceberries show the same kind of movement in the natural world. They feed people, birds, animals, and the ground beneath them. Their gifts keep circulating through the ecosystem.

What we receive does not have to stay with us forever. It can be enjoy, used, and sometimes passed along in another form. As we move towards November, I like the image of a china plate leaving the house. It reminds me that abundance is not only about what sits on my table or stays in my cupboard.

This week, watch for a gift that has reached you.

Receive it.

Then notice whether there is a natural way for some part of that goodness to keep moving. It may move today, months from now, or in a completely different form.

Just open your hands and pass something along when the time is right.

(I made a little collection to help you play with the ideas from this series.  You'll find it in my Tools & Treasures library, which is free to newsletter subscribers. Already a subscriber?  It's already waiting for you.  (I've made a link in the website footer that should show up once you log in.)

I’ll be cheering you on,

 

You can purchase the books from this series The Serviceberry  and Thank You, Omu! with my Amazon affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.