I bought some toys for needy children to "offset" the bad karma for buying Nike running shoes that are made in China with sweatshop labor. I hopes this helps. I hope I make some poor kid feel like he is worth something to receive these meager gifts. Are my gifts enough? I always thought that creativity trumped every toy imaginable, so I wanted to find toys that would foster creativity and freedom.
One of the most memorable gifts I ever received were a few packs of markers. I drew with those things until they went dry. I hope the markers I give make a memory like that.
One of the most awesome toys I ever owned was a Tonka truck. It was a huge, heavy, blue beast that I would abuse and slam into the ground. That toy kept coming back for more. I played with that truck until I lost it, in the years.
One of the most creative gifts I ever had were water color paints. I could create completely new colors just from mixing of the eight. It seemed to me there were infinite colors to be explored and discovered. I used those paints until they all got used up.
One of the most precious gifts I ever received was from my aunt who gave me a stuffed animal. It was wrapped in aluminum foil and a red ribbon, and my sister helped me unwrap it. It was a stuffed animal dog with big eyes and a little tongue and four stout legs. One of the eyes fell off and tried to glue it back on, but it didn't stay. The knit-on tongue fell off long, long ago. I wondered how he panted when he got hot? I never gave him away. I never threw him away. I never got tired of him. I never lost him into the ether of the past and past memories. He is right here still in my life. He still protects me when I am scared. He soothes me when I am sad. He cuddles me when I need a friend. He doesn't judge. I hope my gift of the stuffed animals makes memories like that.
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