In a year (give or take) when my dependence (and interdependence) on others couldn’t have been clearer (or humbling) to me, I have discerned the following principles:

1) Gifts given graciously can never be adequately reciprocated;
2) No amount of compensation can ever even the score for favors done with reluctance; and
3) For a Bear of Very Little Brain, such as myself, it can be tricky to tell the difference.