give and take

It's amazing how hanging out with a heartfelt friend can brighten a day! Not that it was dim to begin with, but what it gave me another way of looking at the concept of "give and take."

Sometimes when we give, we get depleted. For many reasons. Bottom line - if we have an expectation of something that needs to happen, we run the risk of depletion every time we give something. That being said, let's continue in the spirit of exploration.

After leaving Deborah's house, (a fellow yogini, musician, and blogger www.deborahcrooks.com) where we had a delightful lunch of root veg soup and little pizzas, I left thinking, "wow, i should hang out with friends more often" and then I got to thinking, "why do i feel this way?"

If everything is a reflection of what's inside of ourselves, sometimes its nice to get an "outside eye," another perspective, fresh ears on a subject, even if the subject is as trivial as how to make a great soup. If she is a reflection of me, and a reflection of a part of myself that I like, I can exchange ideas/energy with myself. Giving and taking. Giving and receiving. Because the cycle needs both actions to form a whole, being in the presence of someone else can make it easier to complete that cycle.

So if we are not finding supreme happiness or inspiration locked in our room, maybe go outside of the box and see what gets reflected back to you. that way the cycle is completed, give take, take give, it doesn't matter what order, because one leads to the other. Enjoying conversation where both parties are sharing and listening - yes both aspects need to be present for the cycle to complete itself - then "give and take" can be energizing and inspiring. It can take us out of our hamster wheel of thought and by giving and taking, we can restore some sense of balance.

So instead of looking at "give and take" as compromise - maybe think of it as a "companion promise" or a "co-promise" where there will be an energy exchange, potentially uplifting, but always beneficial to both.