Givers and Takers

" When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way.” 

~ Dr. Wayne Dyer

If you happen to catch any of the so called news channels on T.V. it will not take you very long to see that there are great divides between people,almost polar opposites.

All of the noise is created by either the far left or the far right.

The ultra liberal or the ultra conservative.

The shame of it all is that neither side is truly representative of who we are as people.

I am fairly sure that the overwhelming majority of people in the world,have enough stuff on their personal plates to deal with and would prefer to not be bombarded by the rhetoric from either extreme.

I think I speak for most people, I just want to enjoy my short visit to this planet.

Lately, the same polar opposites positions has come up for me again and again. 

It seems to me that there are 2 kinds of people in the world,givers and takers.

As in politics, I don't see this as good or bad. I place no value judgement on either side.

Givers give and takers take.

Period.

Obviously it's not quite as black and white as that.

There are of course, many shades of grey (or shades of off white) .

Each and every one of us has the potential and the occasion to be either a giver or taker.

And then there are the extremes. 

Those of us who constantly give and those who constantly take. Again, no judgment, just observation.

It's these extremes that illuminate the difference in people.

I have one friend who is definitely a giver. 

He gives constantly, often to the point to which it becomes painful.

He can't help himself. He doesn't know any other way to be.

The same can be said for another friend of mine who takes, with both hands, constantly. 

Again, he can't change who he is or how he views life. He is who he is.

I know I am wrong on both accounts. 

The giver can help himself.

The taker can change who he is and how he views life.

It takes discipline.

Trust me, I work hard at this, not always very successfully.

I consider myself to be an extreme giver.

I am a lousy taker.

Neither of these extremes is good for me.

As with anything in life moderation would serve me well when it comes to giving and taking.

It's a struggle. One would think it would be any easy adjustment to make.

It's not!

Still,I know it is one that I must work at constantly to be the best me I can be.

It's all about knowing when to say yes and that it's also just as important to say no.