LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
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elcome to the Holiday issue of House of Fifty! We are excited to share all the stories we’ve gathered together: Features on inspiring women, beautiful spaces, festive fashion and ideas for enjoying this season to its fullest. And of course a big thank you is in order to the wonderful people who contributed to these pages. To all of you, “Thank you!” With the holidays upon us, giving is at the center of many activities and this topic is at the core of several stories in this issue. Giving can take on many forms, from the giving of gifts to the giving of our time, our attention, our kindness and our resources to favorite charities. A few years ago I started to think about the subject of giving when I noticed that people often fall into one of two categories; those who tend to be givers and those who are more frequently on the receiving end. Observing this I wanted to understand more about what creates a spirit of giving and what
creates a spirit of need. What I found is that it really has everything to do with a mindset; one of generosity or one of need. I came to this realization as I recognized that, for much of my life, I had been on the receiving end of giving. In my twenties and thirties I didn’t have a lot. Fortunately I had friends and family who gave generously to me, in both big and small ways. Thoughtful gestures like picking up the tab at dinner, treating me to a movie and even showing up at my door with bags of groceries when things got particularly tight. It’s not always easy being a single girl with a startup business! Years later this “taking” attitude no longer fit my circumstances. I had enough, so why wasn’t I giving more to others? I certainly could afford to, both in terms of resources and time. I realized it came down to mindset. I had become so comfortable living in a taking mode over the years that it had simply become a habit, one that no longer fit my life. Since then I have strived to adopt a new attitude, that I don’t need to be hesitant to share. Giving to others doesn’t mean that I will be left wanting. In fact the opposite is often true! Having a mindset of giving dramatically enriches how one can live and experience each day, as does expanding the definition of what giving is. Giving can be as simple as paying someone a heartfelt compliment or offering a few words of encouragement. What giving means will most likely be different for each of us. I hope in this issue you’ll find new ways to give this season and all year long. Sincerely,
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