Give and Take (Part II)

Last week we talked about "Giving", this week, we are going to talk about "Taking".
It is easy for us to understand about giving. We usually do not feel that we are taking. When there is giving, there is always taking.

People who receive gifts, people who receive gratitude, people who ask others to help them with something, employer asking the employees to do something out of their responsibilities, husbands doing things for the wife and children, wife doing things for husband and children; all these things are taking that we usually overlook.

The giving that most of us overlook is "giving" to "ourselves". Besides giving to other people, we rarely ever give to ourselves. I am not talking about buying clothes or diamond rings. I am talking about giving the necessary "care" to ourselves equaling the same amount that we give and "care" for others.

Everything is in a cycle, in and out, give and take, an exchange of energy. In order to give, we have to receive or take. If we can never receive anything or not giving to ourselves, we will never be able to truly give. How are we supposed to fill up the empty glass when we cannot receive?

I have a friend who has three children. She always cooks a five courses meal for the children but she only have instant noodle or some nuts or something for herself. Most people feel that she must an excellent mother. Yes, she is. But she only cares for the children and not herself. She is unable to receive anything for herself, not even a nice meal.

Some people always want to give and if someone gives them something, they feel that it is bad karma. I know a close friend who does not want to get paid by clients or customers and he does things for free. He is always giving discounts and sometimes writing off the whole bill. Then, you wonder, how does he make a living?

Everything is give and take in order to be balanced. Have you been giving and not taking or have you been taking and not giving?