Today is Valentine’s Day, so I ran out on my lunch hour to pick up a Valentine’s Day card to take home, along with a gift of sweets, to my husband. I park my car, walk into the store, and cheerfully walk to the card aisle and see a beautiful section of nothing but Valentine’s cards. They had cards for everyone — husband, wife, mom, dad, child, aunt…everyone! I immediately find one that I think is nice, I read it, and I like it even more. I turn it over to see how much it is, and about died when I saw that it was $7.99! Yes — you read that right — $7.99! What in the Sam Hell warrants a card to cost $7.99?….and it wasn’t even one of those annoying singing cards either.
I proceeded to pilfer through the selection and, before even looking at the card, immediately turned them over to see how much they were. Even the ugliest of the cards was $5.89. I am not a cheap skate, so it is not about spending the money. It is about the fact of taking advantage of a situation. We have heard people say forever that you can buy a dozen roses one week before or after Valentine’s Day at half the cost. Why is that? I know the answer; I am asking this in a philosophical way. And it takes me to the ugliness of taking advantage or gluttony or greed, all things that make me shake my head.
Why are people greedy? Is it a feature they are born with or something that is learned? Either way, do you think people can recognize it in themselves and change it? If you could, why wouldn’t you want to change that quality about yourself? All of this makes me think that what you put out in the universe comes back to you. Specifically, if you are grateful you are given even more to be grateful for. Conversely, if you are angry and ungrateful, more reasons to be angry and ungrateful are put in your path.
Let me tell you a little story about my wonderful husband on this issue. I trust that once you are done reading this you will quickly realize that this is just one of the gazillion reasons why I love him so much. He has always been a buyer and a seller. He loves the thrill of the hunt, and most times doesn’t know what he is hunting for until he finds it. He then enjoys talking with people and connecting them to things. He comes by this naturally. One of my favorite stories he ever told me about himself was when he was a little boy and he would ride his bicycle all over his neighborhood. His favorite time to ride was the night before garbage pick up because he would bring home all the treasures that he found. I can just picture him as a little boy pedaling through his neighborhood with as many treasures as he could strap to his back, his handlebars and his bike frame.
Throughout his entire life he has bought and sold and is really, really good at it. He is great at it because it is just who he is, but he is also good at it because he gets back what he puts out. Yes, he wants to make money from doing this, but for him it is about the hunt as well as making someone else’s day. The best example I have for this is if he scores something for $20 and then confirms that its value is $100, he is happy to sell it to the next person at well under the value. The reason is because he made a deal on it, made a good profit, and wants to pass that same deal on to someone else. He truly LOVES to see someone walk away happy as hell from a deal that he gave them. Many people would sell this for its full value and not take a penny less. That is fine, but I know in my heart that this is why John is skilled at what he does and why he is blessed with the good experiences that he encounters in this arena. I don’t want to say luck because I don’t necessarily believe in luck — he gets what he gives — and he gives well. He is not greedy and he doesn’t take advantage of a situation.
So my point with this blog is to encourage all of us to not be greedy or to take advantage of people. Like my experience with the $7.99 card, it makes people run away. And it is ugly! If you have a tendency towards these qualities though, take some time to figure out why you may be this way, because until you can understand the root of something, it is near impossible to change. The essence of BU2BFULL is to know yourself and to accept yourself. Accepting yourself isn’t a full excuse for certain behavior though, but it is accepting certain qualities that you possess and identifying those that you may want to change.
If you are a person who leans towards the greedy side, please just remember that it is just “stuff” and that people should always come before things. If you are a person who is generous and open, thank you for spreading love and goodwill within your own circle. Kudos to you and those around you who get to experience your beautiful self.
In the meantime, the next time you see a little boy pedaling his bicycle with all sorts of crap hanging off it, please smile to yourself and wonder what kind of beautiful man he will grow up to be one day.
Love and blessings,
Connie Jo
