A tic tac and a high five

I would be tickled - isn't that the benchmark?

That was a phrase that was used earlier this month that left a sour taste in my mouth. Instead of coming from the position of joy and good nature, it comes from a position of greed and entitlement... a position I don't much care for really.

I will be stopping off at the post office today to mail what I now worry might be perceived as such simply because nothing in that box is physically large. The value of the box is almost twice that of the stated swap and contains things from The Sexy Knitter and Walt Disney World. Initially, it would have had just two items (one from each of the places) and two homemade items... but since all of the ugliness broke out, I went to the parks and picked up more things that were practically equal to the value of the initial box, but not much bigger in size. I even have cast member only items in there!

So here is what I learned -

1. Don't participate in swaps just because you like the subject at hand.
2. Be careful of groups that are simply swap oriented.
3. Perhaps set up swaps with a circle of friends or within my own group.
4. It appears my first swap from earlier this year was unusual and not the norm.

I do have one more swap set up over in my own group and I am sure that it is going to be a millions better than this particular experience, especially since I really know these girls.  They would never lose sight of the fact that it isn't about the amount of money spent but the amount of thought and love that went into the box... because that is what is important in a swap - not the dollar value.

Oh well, I know the value of the box - it's way more than the price tag.