So, the other night, my husband Greg and I were diving into one of our date nights with a twist. We’d signed up for a couples’ dating service that sends out fun and sexy date ideas—Faithful Fling, in case you're curious. This time, we were role-playing. I was a high-powered businesswoman who had just closed a massive deal and decided to treat herself with a shiny new car. Greg? He was the owner of the biggest luxury car dealership in town, offering an exclusive test drive experience to his top clients. You can imagine where this was headed—the “test drive” was supposed to get pretty heated as we cruised through the countryside.
I’m driving through these gorgeous, winding roads, fully into character, and we’re laughing and flirting our way through this whole role-play scenario. Then Greg, staying deep in his luxury car salesman persona, tells me to open the glove compartment because he has a surprise for me. My mind raced with all the sexy, playful possibilities.
But what did I find?
A $150 gift card to our local car wash.
Yep. A car wash.
At first, I couldn’t even process it. “A car wash gift card? Really?” My mind was spinning. I could think of a thousand other things I’d rather spend that money on. What in the world made him think this was the perfect gift? And why so much money for a car wash, of all things? Was I missing something?
But then, in the middle of my confusion, I remembered we were still in character. He was the successful car salesman trying to woo a high-end client with this VIP experience. And in that world, it actually kind of made sense—a high-end car deserves high-end maintenance, right?
My irritation melted away as I realized how much effort Greg had put into this. He was all-in on our little date night, completely committed to making it fun and memorable. Even if that meant giving me, in character, an absurdly large gift card for car washes.
I broke out of character for a moment as my feelings shifted from confusion to warmth. He hadn’t just thrown any old gift in the glove compartment. His gift was part of the context, part of the fun, and—when I really thought about it—part of us. It showed me how much he was invested in creating adventures together, and that made me love the gift even more.
And honestly? I’m kind of a neat freak. So, having this gift card has actually been… awesome. I’ve enjoyed splurging on car washes in a way I never would’ve allowed myself before. I never would have thought to buy a car wash gift card, but now I love it—because I love what it represents.
So, as we roll into gift-giving season, here’s a little something I’ve learned: sometimes, the gifts we receive aren’t what we expected—or even wanted. But when you think about the thought behind them, when you see the heart that went into it, they just might turn into something surprisingly perfect.
Here’s to finding the meaning in even the most unexpected gifts.