What if you feel obligated to choose a present for a true gentleman who is purely a friend--something small that says, "You're appreciated!"

Things had not been going well for me recently. It was nothing too serious, it's just that I had a little tension in my life. I hadn't been resting at all well. On this particular night, I couldn't seem to get to sleep. Each time I closed my eyes, a hundred things started racing through my head. I finally decided to just get up, move to the family room and listen to some relaxing music for a while. I finally fell asleep on the sofa and must have slept like a baby. When I awakened, it was 7:30--an hour past my wake-up time. I could vaguely hear my clock radio upstairs in my bedroom. I had to get ready for work and get there fast!

I struggled off the couch, took a short shower, threw on the clothes that I had fortunately put out the previous night, grabbed what I needed and sprinted out the door. As luck would have it, the previous night I had to park my car almost a block way. Try sprinting in heels sometime! I glanced at my watch to see that I was only going to be about thirty minutes late. I had managed to make up for some of my missing time already. I felt a little more relaxed until...I got to my car and discovered that I didn't have my keys. I remembered that those keys were now resting inside my locked townhouse. My house key was safely on that same keychain! I was not a happy camper.

I scanned the area, trying to find something to break my window. Yes, I was panicky and not processing my situation very clearly. In the nick of time, my neighbor pulled into his parking pad next door. I must have startled him when I yelled his name, because I saw some of his coffee spill as he moved to close his door while trying to balance a cup, his keys, a newspaper and a breakfast sandwich. I explained my problem and asked his recommendation. I'm sure you know how this part turns out--he drove me to work nearly on time and insisted that I eat his sandwich. While I usually try to avoid high-fat, fast food, who am I to turn down breakfast, especially after my start to the day. (It was delicious--fat and all!)

I'm going to nominate him for the "Hero of the Year Award." I wanted to say thank you to him in some other way, while I wait for someone to invent the award. I chose to give him an Italian charm key chain as a little thank you token.

Italian Charms are interchangeable links and come in a wide variety of alternatives: sports team charms, NASCAR charms, and patriotic charms to name a few. These attractive links are stylish for both females AND males. I chose a Italian charm key chain with links representing a couple of his favorite sports teams, because he is a big fan of Boston area teams. He couldn't have been more pleased with it! Giving my neighbor an Italian charm key chain was a perfect thank-you gift for the kindness he showed me.

Incidentally, my "Knight in Shining Armor" also picked me up at the end of my work day and arranged for a locksmith to meet me at my home upon our arrival. Guess what the first key was that my neighbor placed on his new Italian charm key chain I gave him.....a duplicate key to my front door.


The author consults for GoldCupJewelry.com, where you can purchase an Italian charm key chain as well as an Italian charm to meet everyone's hobbies.