GIVE and TAKE

The world teaches us how to take.

Very few people ever learn the hidden joy of giving.

Without both…

life slowly drifts out of balance.

Until I discovered the value of the GIVE and TAKE system, I always felt something was missing.

I could not quite put my finger on it.

You see, we are all born with this powerful internal drive to go out into the world and win…
gather…
claim…
acquire…
achieve…

and keep going until we get what we want.

Some never stop.

MY FELLOW RATS? lol

Then we notice others doing the same thing.

So we push harder.

They see us pushing…
so they push harder too.

And before long…

the rat race is born.

Now do not misunderstand me.

Ambition has purpose.
Achievement has value.
Providing matters.

But somewhere along the way, many lose themselves trying to get ahead.

BALANCE

So what keeps a human being from becoming consumed by the race?

The GIVE dynamic balances the TAKE dynamic.

Without giving…
life slowly tilts off center.

A person may still succeed outwardly while quietly becoming disconnected inwardly.

That imbalance eventually shows itself.

WINNING ALL THE TIME? HMM

Predatory behavior has functions in life.

Competition can sharpen us.

But remaining too long in “take mode” slowly changes the soul.

You become efficient at gathering…
winning…
acquiring…
competing…

yet strangely unable to fully enjoy what you worked so hard to obtain.

And I am not merely talking about money.

HIDDEN VALUE

It feels good being first in line.
Getting the deal.
Finding fortune.
Winning.

But remember something:

The other fellow wants that feeling too.

Sometimes stepping aside so another person may experience joy carries hidden rewards greater than the thing itself.

There is a strange peace in allowing someone else to have their turn.

DREAM JACKET

I once bought a beautiful expensive jacket while traveling out of state.

It was one of a kind.

Everywhere I went, people complimented it.

I became attached to it.

One day I accidentally left it behind at a restaurant.

I returned the next day asking for it.

Nothing.

No one had seen it.
No one reported it.

Gone.

Then suddenly I stopped and thought differently.

Someone else found beauty in that jacket too.

Someone else was probably thrilled to own it.

I had my time with it.

Now it was their turn.

And strangely enough…

once I let it go…
I felt good.

GAIN & LOSS

When I find money, I rejoice.

When I lose it, panic often tries to enter.

But perhaps gain and loss are both part of the great circulation of life itself.

Things come.
Things go.

Maybe learning to flow with this reality brings more peace than clinging ever could.

After all…

is not everything here ultimately on loan?

VALUES UNKNOWN

When someone else prospers, I genuinely feel happy for them.

Why?

Because it is their turn.

And there is joy in witnessing another human being flourish.

Do not underestimate the value of celebrating someone else’s blessing.

That experience is priceless.

THE GIVING GENE REWARDS

Giving has its own mysterious reward system.

Time.
Money.
Encouragement.
Food.
Service.

I especially notice this when I BBQ or bake for people.

Watching others enjoy something I prepared gives me joy beyond the thing itself.

Giving multiplies enjoyment.

TWILIGHT ZONE

I remember a Twilight Zone episode where a man dies and awakens in a place where he can have anything he wants.

At first he is thrilled.

Everything goes his way.
Constant pleasure.
Constant success.
Constant gain.

But eventually…

he becomes miserable.

Nothing challenges him.
Nothing satisfies him.
Nothing feels meaningful anymore.

Finally he says:
“I do not belong in heaven.”

And then comes the shocking response:

“This ISN’T heaven.”

HEAVEN OR HELL

Without balance…
without gratitude…
without giving…

life eventually drifts off center.

Too much taking empties the soul.

The moral?

The GIVE and TAKE system was never meant to operate one-sided.

Real joy often appears when we stop asking:
“What can I get?”

and begin asking:
“What can I give?”

Did this speak to your heart or life journey?

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— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com