Tiny envelopes

Not a day goes by that I'm not grateful for the park moms.  They are so kind to me in many, many ways.  They have helped me day after day find things I need, take care of my son, and provide lots of laughter. 

Before I arrived, they had a system of support already set up.  They took turns shopping and caring for children.  When someone stopped by the store to buy meat (or whatever), they would send a Line message to the other moms asking if they needed meat and mentioning a good deal.  If someone had an appointment, they could ask the other moms to watch their child.  Since meeting the moms and hanging out with them almost daily for over a year now, I've often participated in the shopping and childcare exchange. 

When one mom buys something for another family, the recipient tries to pay them back as quickly as possible.  Sometimes it doesn't happen on the same day as the purchase.  Maybe they aren't at the park that day or they don't have exact change.  When that happens, they put the money owed into a special small envelope.  Then the envelope is presented with gratitude for the patience of the person who needed to be repaid. 

It took me a while to figure out the envelope exchange.  When to use it versus when it wasn't needed was a mystery for a short time.  I knew where to get the envelopes, called Pochi Bukuro, because I often see them for sale in stationary stores.  Before hanging out with the moms, I didn't realize what they were for.  They are so small, that I had always wondered why someone needed such petite envelopes and why they were sold in abundance.  After watching the exchange several times, I figured out the etiquette and when it was appropriate to use the envelope to return money.

Pochi Bukuro were first made at the end of the 19th century.  They were used to give a gift of money or a tip to express gratitude. Several years later, Pochi Bukuro started to be used as an envelope to put money in for Otoshidama (money from parents and other adults given to children for New Years). It is now used for other purposes, such as to give money for a “tip” expressing gratitude for a service at a hotel or inn (in general tipping is a big no-no, but there are special circumstances), and as an envelope to enclose a small message to attach to a present. 

The envelopes are decorated in so many different designs, but the size of the envelope is standard.  It is the perfect size to hold bills folded into thirds or quarters, and the material is always thick enough to hold coins.

I went to Costco on Monday with a couple other park moms.  While there, we purchased several items for the other park moms - bagels, salad dressing, and pesto, as well as other items.  While most paid me back on Monday, one of the moms wasn't there and a couple others didn't have exact change.  So I received several of these cute envelopes this week.  I love it when I'm able to shop for the park moms.  It always gives me the greatest feeling of accomplishment - which may seem silly until you take into account the language barrier - because I feel like I'm contributing to the group.