Hi Friends,
This is your weekly edition of The Friday Five Hundred.
This year for my birthday, a dear friend who came into my life recently, asked me, “What would you like from me for your birthday?”
“You being in my life is enough for me,” I answered in haste.
She didn’t let that derail her from her original question and then phrased it another way. “Maybe this will be good practice for you to exercise your receiving muscle.” The mic dropped. We said goodbye and went back to our daily routines. I kept feeling the impact of her statement. It challenged one of my limiting beliefs.
Receiving. Why is it so difficult?
As I write my memoir, I came upon a belief solidified within me from an early age: “Everything comes at a price. It’s better to give than to receive.” Later in my college years, while learning Economics, I learned this was a prevalent thought and even considered a principle: “There’s no free lunch.”
That all made sense to me on an outer surface level, yet on a deeper soul level, I was challenged. If I started keeping tabs on everything I received from the day I was born, I’d have a long list of owing others for their generosity.
I also know how good it feels to give to another human. By my refusal to receive, am I robbing someone of this joy? In order to give doesn’t there need to be a receiver? Am I disturbing the flow of giving and receiving? Ultimately, how can I continue to give when I fail to receive, running my well dry?
There were times I received without the giver expecting anything in return. My parents gave me unconditionally. I can never repay them back for the years they spent doing their best to raise me. How do I give back all the blessings and gifts God gave me? The ideas that pop into my brain…who is responsible for this giving? Who do I return this favor to? Can I ever give back to God all the bounties that were bestowed upon me?
Perhaps the best form of giving is receiving with open arms and an open heart. Imagine how valued someone feels when we fully and openly receive their gifts. When I’m on the giving end, it thrills me when the receiver appreciates my gift and accepts it. There’s a vulnerability in receiving, which requires gentleness and flexibility.
A friend from Pakistan asked me the same question that my soul friend asked me. “What would you like from Pakistan?” This time I was ready to employ my skill of receiving. I asked for a Pakistani Tea set in the color blue. She sent a magnificent Tea Set painted in the mosaic art of kashikari.
