So today, [I hope you are sitting down] I wore a tie.  I’m one of those people nobody can ever buy gifts for, so for Father’s Day my kids bought me a tie, kind of as a joke, but it was a really nice Nicole Miller tie with bikes on it (!) so I thought I’d wear it to my office.  I'm pretty sure this was the first time I've ever worn a tie at Aperio.  What a great thing; so flattering everyone noticed and commented.  (I am always surprised to find how “visible” I am :)  Some thought I had a job interview (yeah right) and some that we had a board meeting (not a bad guess) and some that I was raising money for a new company (now that would be cool :).  Anyway it made for a great day.  I’ll have to do it again, maybe once a year (I could celebrate Bicycle Day!).

Reflecting on this, when you give a gift, you are really giving a series of feelings.  First there is the way the person feels when they receive the gift.  Then there is the feeling they get when they use the gift (whatever it is, and however many times they use it).  When I'm shopping for a gift I try to imagine how the recipient will feel later, when they're using whatever it is.  My kids probably didn't know it, but they not only gave me a tie, they gave me a nice day :)