There is a Facebook group I belong to that works like a wishing well. If you need something like an umbrella, you post a request and often someone has one to spare. Also if you want to offer something for free or a few bucks, you post a message. It is community in action. There are other such hubs, like Freecycle, and thrift stores, in which people offer up things they no longer need. A few of the members are into minimalist living and are shedding perfectly great stuff. Others whose children are outgrowing clothes pass those along. Several are moving and thinning out their belongings.  

 

I enjoy that such altruism is viable. There is a place for being able to articulate both what you need and what you have to give. 

 

One of the Achille's heels of relationships is when we neglect to ask for what we need. I have been guilty of expecting John to know without my having to spell it out.

 

Babies are a crash course in the art of Needs Assessment.

 

 

Frankly I believe I got pretty skilled at baby whispering. But it does not translate easily into knowing what my adult kids or husband want. Their messages are more subtle. Still I wonder if there is something that is just as crucial as knowing the right move. That's the effort to look for it.