I’m a great fan of gift cards. I don’t use them for gifting friends. I don’t use them instead of buying a personalized gift for someone with whom I have a relationship.

For me, gift cards are mostly used to get something for myself. I would probably buy the item anyway, but it feels great to be able to plunk down my card at the register. I like knowing the value of the card, if new or the balance on the card if it’s accompanied me on other trips down the aisle.

TP or paper towels, birthday cards to keep in inventory, gym socks or toothpaste…almost all my purchases of this kind come via Target gift cards. I order gift cards through my bank when I have accrued enough points from paying off my credit card.

Occasionally, I’ll receive store gift cards for a birthday, or have received Starbucks cards as a Christmas stocking stuffer or as a small token of appreciation.

I was at Target last week and had a freshly delivered gift card in my purse. I didn’t have large items on my list, but I pulled a cart out from the row where they were nestled into each other like Matryoshkas, like Russian nesting dolls, anyway.

In the moment, I decided I needed a tall, fruit-flavored, iced tea and remembered this store had a Starbucks near the escalator.

I started to rifle through my purse looking for any Starbucks gift cards that had gotten tucked away over the years. I’m not a coffee drinker and don’t visit outlets of  the ubiquitous green empire often.

Maybe there was a half-used card waiting to be found. Maybe I decided to meet a friend at one or found I had to kill time at the cineplex waiting for the next show to start.

I contemplated pulling together a good start to underwriting the purchase of a cold drink.

“How much do I have on this one?”

I pulled out an old card that might have come with the purse, proclaiming “Merry Christmas” in a pre-colorized ”it’s a Wonderful Life” font, and tossed it to the young barista standing earnestly behind the counter.

“Twelve dollars,” he reported.

“Make that a LARGE.”

They no longer had hibiscus but offered a passion fruit iced tea, which was quite refreshing. I didn’t expect to have such a sizable balance on the card. I was ecstatic.

It’s always fun to go through coat pockets at the beginning of the fall season to see if they might contain change or small denominations of paper currency or even a wrapped cough drop — but this discovery had me over the moon.

I like surprises anyway. I love free upgrades, or being the fifteenth caller, or picking up a great poster at a yard sale (even if I end up paying two hundred bucks for framing).

I love the idea of provenance. Like the journey a piece of art might undergo to get to where it is, and who can claim ownership, right now.

It’s nice to think that no matter the odds, some things are just meant to be. I suppose It seems crazy to get philosophical or romantic about a cardboard cup of a beverage, but these might be real feelings I’ll entertain.

I love the feeling of having an overlooked gift, something of value, that I’ve had all the time but forgot was available. Like the magic in Dorothy’s ruby slippers, it’s incredible to remember you have powers or abilities you don’t usually think about. All you have to do is open your awareness and ALLOW.

But I think my biggest delight was about getting exactly what I wanted, a cold drink on a hot day. The card was not new. It didn’t have a huge balance, but it gave me more than enough to purchase a large, cold, fruit-flavored drink on a hot day; exactly what I wanted.

Having the clarity of mind to know exactly what you want and putting yourself in position to receive it is no small thing.