"The truth is, I get tired of giving and not getting back."
One of my friends has just said this. I have been quiet all this time, hearing her say things like that most of the time, wondering if she'll ever pay attention to what leaves her mouth.
She has never asked me about my opinion, but there are some thoughts I wanted to share. First of all, I appreciate the honesty. Telling the truth -even the most unpleasant- is not a common value these days. However, I completely disagree with the statement. Giving is, as the word says itself, a gift. I give because I want to, because that person deserves it. I surely don't give a present with expectations, waiting for that person to pay me back.
That is why I never get tired of giving. I do it because it feels good, it feels right, not as an obligation or duty. Those who expect something in exchange are not truly giving but trading, investing on a business.
There is, though, a wise line from a song by Nickelback called "If Today Was Your Last Day". The verse says "each day's a gift and not a given right". There is nothing I can add to that.
I have just one thing left to say. You can take it as an advice, but it is actually what I repeat to myself every day so I can be faithful to who I am and not to who they want me to be: "If you do it, let the reason be because you want to."
