Make Friends With Artists

I always gravitated towards creative types. They may not have money. They are giving. You never know what they have on hand which becomes a gift. Everyone has too many coffee mugs.

My father amassed coffee mugs from political fundraisers. When I saw the "Sportsmen For Virginia" mug; my thought was "They are probably hunters." You were expecting badminton? This predated pickle ball which is all the rage with old people currently.

It's loud if you live near pickle ball courts. Rather than playing tennis without running; make friends with artists. I was never given the official news Kris passed away. He had cancer and I did not know the rest of his family who could have given the news I would not want to hear.

As "Single men with no children" we had many frames of reference. Single men seem to travel a lot. It remains to be seen if that is better than a relationship. I enjoy it.

Kris was a beekeeper and sent me his final jar of honey before he gave up beekeeping. Some things run their course. Honey does not go bad so I can enjoy this long after he is gone.

He not only drew the Christmas cards he sent, he would send handcrafted mugs. I still have them. Does it matter that I don't drink coffee? They are good for soup or even cold drinks.

Artists don't have much money. These gifts last indefinitely. They also serve as a reminder of what was made by hand. He had so many mugs he was probably sick of looking at them.

I am not. During my years of underemployment; Christmas was not cost effective. When I bought presents for others they usually did not like them. That made me not want to play the game.

When I was hit by a car it was a relief only because I was excused from buying Christmas presents others would not like. That was a strange December. Later in life I baked cookies and gave them as gifts.

My family was amazed I could follow directions, crack an egg and bake cookies. That was a gift many enjoyed. You don't have to spend a lot to make an impression. Artists may not have money.

On the rare occasions we went to lunch, Kris picked up the check. He was probably glad someone was going to lunch. We lived in different areas so meetups were uncommon.

With no children, Christmas did not mean much. It meant more when I received his handmade card. I save Christmas cards indefinitely. They are small and from the heart. A handmade gift is more valuable sentimentally than a store bought gift. Sounds like I have to make friends with more artists. They always have good conversations, have a small business that should be patronized and I feel better in the presence of creative types. Make friends with artists and your life will be enhanced in ways you cannot imagine.