66 - Giving is more satisfactory than Receiving

I came across this phrase last week.  I don’t remember where I saw this.  You can attribute it to my getting old!!  This phrase got into my mind and made me write this blog.  When I began to think about this, it all seemed to be too true!!

Giving to others bring a great joy to the giver.  It can even be a small thing for the giver but the act itself is so pleasurable that you end up giving more than you bargained for!  And as long it brings you joy, you keep on giving!!  It may not necessarily be monetary in nature.  It can be things, things that can make them happy like wishing them on their important dates, doing something out-of-ordinary for them, making people cut cakes for the first time in their life on their birthdays/anniversaries when they are over 70+ etc etc. 

On my part too, I give happiness to others whenever I can and I am happy that I have done all the things mentioned above😊.  Like calling the person on their birthdays and anniversaries for wishing them.  And now everyone has started expecting my call!!  In case I miss out, which is very rare, they make a point to mention the next time I call them!!  As already mentioned in my earlier blog, I make a calendar every year which has these details printed on them.  This time I added a new form of giving.  We had gone out with my wife’s family for an outing last year.  So, for next year, I made a desktop calendar with 12 photos from that trip and presented them to my wife’s brothers’ family, when they were here this week.  Of course, they loved the calendar, goes without saying!!

Receiving something brings you joy at that instant and simply vanishes once you have got it!!  Later on, you may not even remember who gave that thing to you!!  But there are exceptions.  Just today, one of my old colleagues called me up, after some 2-3 years.  I had visited his house warming ceremony and had given a gift to him on that occasion, some 8-9 years back.  He mentioned that he still has kept the gift in a good condition!  I have even forgotten what gift it was!! 

The other day, my mother just mentioned casually that she is not able to read the fonts in the TV on various channels.  Within the next 2 days, I had gone for a bigger size TV and had it fitted.  Her joy knew no bounds and she was very happy.  Now any relative who calls, she makes it a point to mention this!   And the old TV went off with my brother-in-law to be fitted in his mother’s room in Chennai!! 

Giving is always a good habit as we are not going to take anything with us to the other world!!  If we are not going to use something and it is just going to lie there gathering dust, it is better to give it off to someone who will use it.  Last year too, we did a cleaning of the loft and reduced the things kept there by 95%!!  Most of them were given away to someone and the rest were thrown out. 

So, keep giving and see the happiness enter your life. It is up to you to keep it with you, once it enters your life!! 

Cheers!!

Today’s Daffy Definition

Adolescents – Children old enough to dress by themselves if they could just remember where they last saw their clothes!!