My friend sent me his baby registry, but with no context. Mind you, we haven’t spoken since February 7.
He didn’t ask me how I am doing or let alone say “hello.” But he did send a link to his baby registry, and I didn’t even ask for it. The behavior is unusual for him but also inexcusable for the friendship we’ve shared. I was so flabbergasted by the ask, I didn’t respond until a day later with “Yo.”
He Asked The Right Person
I’m a friend you want to have. I will usually support you monetarily and give generously because I enjoy giving. I’m a giver. But there comes the point — in any friendship — where the least you can do is show kindness and decency to someone who consistently shows it to you without ever asking or expecting much (but really nothing) in return.
Why I Will Still Contribute
No, I’m not a pushover, but I am kind. My friend’s approach is undeniably crass, and I don’t foresee us further developing the friendship. However, I’m not going to respond to him in a crass fashion. I’m a giver, and when a good opportunity arises to give, I seize it. But this situation was noted and not favorable for my friend. I can’t (and won’t) surround myself with takers who take me for granted. But I will invest a seed into his newborn baby’s life.
Don’t let ego prevent you from giving to someone who doesn’t deserve it.
We’ve all been that person who has received a gift we didn’t deserve, and it probably impacted us (positively) more than we’d like to admit. That is what I’m going to do in this case. Give because I can, and it won’t harm me to do so. There are key moments that we need to take all of the personal development articles, books, and podcasts we’ve listened to and implement them. When someone treats us sideways, treat them better — disclaimer: with boundaries.
Why You Shouldn’t Take Your Friends For Granted
For one, it’s showing decency. All too often, we take our loved ones and the people we care about for granted.
When you consistently take people for granted, it destroys the opportunity for the relationship to flourish into something more beautiful than it already is. Taking people for granted also mitigates the circulation of your blessings, opportunities, good fortune, and favor.
Hopefully, he doesn’t send me another text with only a link to his second baby registry; if so, I won’t respond.
In this day and age, most people are holding on to any money they have. You never know which friend might be able to pull you through a tough jam, but you’ll never know which friend this is if you treat most of your friends like sh*t. So, instead of treating your quality friends like trash, treat them well. I promise it will come back to you. I know it has for me — multiple times over.
Learn About Me — Destiny S. Harris
Destiny S. Harris is a writer, poet, entrepreneur, teacher, and techie who offers free books daily on amazon. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, or @ destinyh.com