The Best Christmas Present Ever

THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER.

2021 was easily the toughest year personally for me, yet the most satisfying year of my professional career.

I am a person who struggles to enjoy Christmas for a myriad of reasons.

It is the excess and waste that I struggle with, so I haven’t anticipated receiving gifts for a long time now!

So, what is the best Xmas gift ever for a person (Grinch) like me?

HOPE… and below is the story of how I received the gift of HOPE for the of #christmas 2021.

After a year working on my side hustle, taking every opportunity possible trying to get the website, online store, marketing, and messaging for #otherwordz perfect, unsure and often second-guessing everything as I had no one to bounce my ideas and concepts off, with a few sales trickling in from people who were not family, I struggled to get the blend of all the above “right”.

But just before Christmas I got a ping from the sale of two OSFA - T's. Now, if you have ever drop shipped anything you know what I am talking about,… approximately $8.75 profit from the sale of two shirts.

BIG DEAL right!?

It was not the profit that was the gift.

It was the reason that this mother of two bought the shirts,… a mother I knew, a local parent, a woman I would never have guessed in a million years would buy a T-shirt that says “Prison is a one size fucks all solution”. She is an academic, active in the P&C and in my judgemental mind more part of the problem, than part of the solution. How wrong could I have been? I acknowledge the hypocrisy of my judgement.

As my curiosity grew as to why this mother had bought this specific OSFA – T, because there were other more tame mother appropriate T-shirts she could have bought, (I had even designed one the PASS or FAIL – T Prison is a one size fails all solution).

Knowing I would cross paths with Lowenna at the year 6 graduation in a couple of days I decided to ask her in person and it went something like this….

ME: “Hi Lowenna, I noticed you bought a couple of OSFA – T. I appreciate your support. I am curious, did you get the T-shirts you were after as I know some shirts had sold out?”

Lowenna: “Yes, two of the ‘prison is a one size fucks all’”.

Me: “Cool. To be honest you are the last person I would have expected to buy one of these T-shirts, let alone two. What made you buy the OSFA -T specifically?”

Lowenna: “I have been following your life story with interest and listening to your explanations about the problems prison creates. I watched Incarceration Nation and listened to the podcast you have been on. I learned that one event can change your whole life. I don’t know the solutions, but I bought the OSFA – T to start conversations, as you have done. To raise awareness about how fucked the current system is.”

And there it is. Hearing that my story had given Lowenna an understanding of how time in prison can fuck up a life so drastically, filled me with joy and gave me immense hope.

I had just been paid, paid in full by Lowenna’s reason for purchasing.

Lowenna’s reason for buying this specific OSFA – T gave me HOPE that the world can be changed one word at a time, and I am designing the Advocate Apparel to be worn whilst doing it!

Our two backgrounds are so different but our common goal of helping others has brought us together. Division is our enemy, and when we remain open-minded together we can advocate for change using the language and vernacular of #otherwordz to change the world one word at a time.

A good friend always told me, if you have a message or are trying to sell anything, be aware. … You never know where, how or who is listening. Carry and share your message congruently and I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised by what can happen.

What was your favourite gift for Christmas 2021?.