Why do we give– whether it be gifts to family and friends, or some food for a stranger, or money to a charity?  i’m sure different individuals have their own reasoning.  Should we also expect “something” in return when we do share what we have with others?  i really don’t understand why some people feel they are supposed to get something, every time they do a good deed for someone else.  Sadly, though, i’m learning more every day, about just how greedy people have become.  i dunno.  Maybe it’s always been there, and i was just not trained to be so?  Or, maybe i chose to be ignorant of the fact that this is yet another aspect of humanity that will always linger until the end of time?  Either way, i can’t say that i want to acknowledge the fact that it exists.  My perception of giving is simple, i believe:  doesn’t matter why or to whom, as long as it comes from a good place (one’s heart) and nothing is expected in return.  i feel the appropriation of ‘gifts’—that are not simply gifts, but more of an expected chore one has to endure, whether it be due to the political correctness of the act or simply due to expectations—is a true misconception and twists the actual enjoyment of sharing gifts with others.  Personally, the satisfaction and enjoyment seen on the recipient’s face is all the ‘gift’ i need.  Am i alone in this philosophy?  i hope not….  If that’s the case, then i don’t want to be a part of this world any longer.  

This subject has been on my mind/heart for the last couple of days, now…   As i was wrapping gifts for my husband’s relatives, the other evening, and asking him details for colors or designs this one or that one might prefer, since i had the items laid out on the bed for him to choose from, his words struck me like a sword.  “You shouldn’t give them gifts if you don’t expect anything in return.”  WTF?  i just looked at him….i couldn’t say anything, as i was trying to process the fact that he’d said it, and i hadn’t misheard.  i guess, in a lot of ways, i really am learning more and more, on a daily basis.  *sigh  i’m not writing this to complain or bash my husband–this is never my intent.  i really want to understand this train of thought–at least enough so i can look past it and not be soooooo bothered by it.  i know people, for the most part, are actually greedy.  We all have some form of it, i’d suppose, whether it be monetary materialistic greed, or a sense of gluttony to be loved, or something else.  i just can’t expect other people to see and do what i feel is fairly appropriate, but i wish there were more proof that i’m not some gullible sap always getting used for whatever people around me want, at the time.  

OK….enough ranting for the moment.  i just had to vent a bit about something that is truly near and dear to my heart.