Are gifts ever free of coercion?

Since the holidays, I’ve book-1760998_1920been thinking of gifts and their multiple natures. There are gifts that feel free of coercion, not purchasedfor a particular occasion like a birthday or a religious holiday. They’re just simple, natural expressions of affection and friendship. The sweet peas my friend Solace brought me some time ago with the used book on my hometown Calgary seem in that category. Spontaneous. She came across the book while browsing in a used bookstore for something for herself. The flowers were for my then 93-year old mother, an acknowledgment of her age and person.

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