What've you got?

I love a good trade.

Last week, I was lucky enough to gain nineteen books from a friend's collection. She is cleaning house and decided to let her friends have their pick before giving the rest away. I ended up with a couple of psychology books, a pamphlet on the US Constitution, and a LOT of gardening books. I didn't have much to give in return as a thank you gift, except my last jar of pickled green tomatoes that I put up in November. She was glad to have them, and glad I thinned her piles considerably.

Last night, I traded two buckets full of daylily shoots and roots for some eggs fresh from another friend's farm.  Well, more precisely, her chickens. I do my best to supply her with empty egg cartons, too. My neighbor gives them to me, and I give she and her husband eggs in return when I get them from the farm. Her husband and her son love to pickle them and eat them when they go hunting. (Edit: didn't get the eggs, but I got a great night out with some incredibly hilarious women!)

My sister and my mom clean out their closets once or twice each year. When they do, they tend to ask me if I want anything. They let me sort through and try on as many outfits as I'd like. I have even less than pickled tomatoes and egg cartons to give to them. All I can give them is an ear to listen, a hug when I see them, and a fresh perspective on whatever troubles them.

When I lost my job a couple of years ago, I had to get used to receiving, rather than giving. I like trade a good deal better, but I don't always have much to offer. I hope that a smile, a good recipe, and a good story are enough. Some days, that's all I have to give, and it will have to do.