Giving gifts is a selfless act.

Christmas Eve party with the Lewinskies

We are in the season of generosity and we often give gifts to more people than we usually do. When we make our list of gifts we want to give to others, we must guard against our desires to get something similar in return. Giving is a spontaneous, selfless act.

 

A gift is a multi-layered act of kindness. Think of an onion. When you peel back the layers of an onion, you arrive at its centre. Such is the structure of a gift. Deep inside - way past the physical manifestation - you will find a part of you that you have shared with another person. Therein lies the value of the gift. It is this relational element that separates the act of giving from a business transaction.

 

When you attach a price tag to a gift, it is no longer a gift. Whatever you gave becomes a trade-off, an investment. Subconsciously, you are making demands on the person to pay you back. You start adding up what you have done, the cost involved and the sacrifices you have made. This negative spiral is unhealthy for your own psyche.

 

I know we struggle not to get upset or even disillusioned when others don't appreciate what we give them freely. This is normal because we are human, after all. But, we shouldn't withhold blessings from others if it is in our power to share these. Both the giver and the receiver benefit in amazing ways. Positive energy spirals beget a whole chain of wholesome positive events that we cannot comprehend.

 

Once you have decided to do random acts of kindness, release those gifts completely with body, mind and soul. Have no expectations other than basking in the abundance of peace and happiness that you have blessed someone unconditionally. If you strive to give others gifts with such a mindset, you will not be burdened with the worries of profits and losses that have no place in the realm of giving.

 

There is no greater spiritual and emotional boost than knowing you give because you care - nothing else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Packing for our Thailand trip

Image
I think I am getting better with packing for holidays - whether it is for local breakaways, camping or most recently, for our holiday in Thailand. I still overpacked ( rolling eyes) by putting in all my light lacy throw-overs because I prefer my "Sauls" arms to have a wee bit of covering. Believe me, those lacy tops stayed put in the luggage bag for the duration of our trip!   We use Jiffy self-locking  bags as our packing cubes, a cheaper version of the material cubes you can buy. The Jiffy bags are transparent and vacuum seal as well, creating more space in  your luggage bag. Our travel wardrobe I  think we worry unnecessarily about what to wear when going on holiday. All the clothes you usually wear when you run errands or when you go out, would be just perfect for Thailand as well. If you intend dining at an upmarket restaurant or want to visit a smart club, you can pack in dressy shoes and a fancy outfit. We however,were just going to do regular activities t
Read more

It's been a year since I had breast cancer and life is good.

Image
Ayesha (far right), my past student and now wonderful radiologist, posing with me after the mammogram and ultrasound moments.   On 18 May, it was a year after I had a lumpectomy.  As you will recall, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and the option my surgeon, Dr Edge, recommended was a lumpectomy. Fortunately, there was no evidence of spreading after the binodal biopsy and thus I had to only go for radiation after the operation. The year had flown past. Just the other day, my family and I were dealing with all the visits to the hospital for the lumpectomy, the 30 daily sessions of radiation and then the recovery period. In fact, our lives went back to normal pretty soon after this trauma and life has been good. Sometimes when certain well-meaning folk enquire about my health whenever they see me, my mischievous streak hovers below the surface. When they ask , "And how is your health  now?" their voices drop, their mouths contort  and I get that " I hope I lo
Read more

Our elephant trekking experience in Phuket.

Image
We had our own dedicated taxi to take us to go elephant riding and to experience the 9D images at the Trickeye museum. We met our taxi driver in Bangla road, who also waved his laminated brochures to passing Bangla road crowds. After agreeing on the cost of our trip the next day and giving our hotel details, we parted ways. The next morning, at exactly 11h00, our soft-spoken taxi driver was there to chauffeur us to our planned attractions. Our driver lives about five hours from Patong, where he works. He would go home some weekends or his family would join him in Patong.  The day we met him in Bangla road, his young son was with him but since we were three passengers, the little one had to stay at home. Our first stop was to do the elephant rides. Here again, you will experience the ingenuity of the Thai people. Once you had paid for your ride, you are invited to buy food for your elephant. The food is a tiny plastic bowl of small overripe bananas that will set you back 100 baht.
Read more