There’s a phenomenon amongst penguins that went viral on TikTok sometime last year. Apparently penguins are frequently seen giving pebbles to other penguins, as a token of their love and affection. The internet, more specifically TikTok, adopted this term for the human equivalent of this gift giving action. Rather than giving our friends and loved ones pebbles, we give them little gifts or trinkets. Throughout my undergrad, I’ve gathered a tight knit group of friends within my program, and in this friend group it has become very typical to give each other little gifts on random occasions. The action of doing so is what we call “pebbling”.
My friends are a very creative and tactile group of individuals, so we all have several hobbies that tend to result in tangible objects. As a result of this, my room is decorated with little trinkets they’ve made for me. Some of these items range from simple origami butterflies that I’ve pinned to my bedroom wall, and others are more intense objects. One of my friends, who does woodworking, made me a bowl. I have a small table in my room where this bowl has resided ever since it got into my possession — a great place to put all the mints I take from restaurants. I also have two paintings on my wall that my other friend made for me. She’s extremely talented in the visual arts realm and so when she’s bored she’ll sometimes pick up a paint brush and create these amazing pieces of art. She knows I love the singer Noah Kahan as well as the movie Avatar, and so she’s made me paintings of both. I also have the occasional friendship bracelet that I’ll wear, which of course was made by another one of my friends.
I also partake in the activity of “pebbling” my friends in return. Although I tend to book my schedule pretty tight, I will occasionally still find time to do my hobbies. The most common gift that I give is items that I’ve crocheted. Since crocheting gives you so much freedom to make whatever your heart desires, I’m constantly making up fun new creations. When the crochet project is cute enough, that’s when I give them to my friends. Whether it be little flower decor for their car or a silly little ghost I made for Halloween, I love gifting them away. It’s also always nice when I visit their rooms and see that my little “pebbles” have become part of the decor.
It’s always interesting when I catch myself treasuring these objects. I never took myself as someone who prioritizes gift gifting or receiving as an important love language, and yet these items can hold so much value. I think the reason why I love being “pebbled” so much is because when I look around my room, there’s physical proof that I am loved and that I’m important in people’s lives. Of course, at the end of the day I do know I matter to them, but it’s always reassuring to see that the importance that they hold in my life is a mutual understanding. There’s even more meaning when you realize what led up to receiving the gift. Especially with hand made items, this means that the gift giver thought of you and fit time into their busy schedule to make you the item. This is especially meaningful because my friend group is entirely made up of engineering majors so free time tends to be hard to come by. Amongst all the assignments and exams in our lives, we still find time for each other. Again, proving why something so simple can mean so much.