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Blind Spot

You know how some people always seem to have trouble with certain tasks? It's not even a matter of competence, I've seen really, really talented people fail at mundane tasks on a consistent basis. I've also seen incompetent people fail at similar tasks, too, so it really isn't a function of intelligence, education, or darn near anything you can think of. People are just good at different things.

Anyhow, for whatever reason, I've always been bad at wedding gifts. Now, if I'm going to a wedding, I care about the people so I will happily get them a gift. I want them to be happy, and I want to help them celebrate. But for whatever reason, I always forget about the gift until the last minute. I know full well that I am going to get the couple a gift, and I want to get them something nice. Still, I always seem to forget to do this in advance.I'd like to think this isn't a result of me being an idiot (though that's always up for interpretation), but at this point, it's happened often enough that I realize that it's a weakness. I've gotten a little better about it over time, but still, it's slightly problematic.

So where's the humor in all this, you ask? I was talking to a buddy at a wedding recently, and he said something along the lines of, "yeah, I only looked at the website to RSVP and buy a gift, and then I ..." That's when it hit me: I could easily get the gift at the same time as I commit to going to the wedding. It's such a simple solution that it had that ring of truth to it, and I probably had one of those looks on my face that reflected a sudden moment of realization. Put it this way: I had the sudden to urge to facepalm myself for all of the times in the past when I've screwed this up. He didn't make fun of me, but I suspect that it was more out of sheer kindness than anything else.

Still, I'll gladly trade that moment of embarrassment for my newfound knowledge. I'm going to be awesome at this whole gift-giving thing from now on.
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