Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Fortune Cookies...

So today has been an extremely stressful day as it usually is when returning from a long weekend. Had to work today, which is usually fine unless I feel like a zombie for not sleeping. As I'm going through my bag trying to find something edible, I happen to find a fortune cookie from I don't remember when.

When  I open it, I had no expectation on what it was going to say.  To me it didn't really matter, I just wanted to eat the cookie.  The fortune said "You are an extremely generous and always thinking of others."  I felt like a fraud.

No, really, I did.  Why? Because I don't think of myself that way.  If I help someone I don't quantify it.  I don't think that doing this favor may lead to having the other person "owe me one".   To me, if they need help and its within my means, why wouldn't I?

Yes, I know what you are going to say, and believe me I've heard it from my friends and family a million times. According to my mother people tend to see my "cara de BUENA gente".  Where she is actually saying that I'm a "sucker" or very gullible and/or naive when it comes to people. Believe me, that is the soft translation. Now, though eight out of ten times my parents say that someone is using me, they are right, there are still those two people that genuinely needed the help.  Should I become a suspicious person that doesn't believe that people are inherently good and sincere? Should I start wondering if when I receive a call from a long lost friend, it is not in fact to borrow $500 dollars, but just to see how I'm doing?

It is hard not be skeptical when your family keeps telling you that people out there are trying to take advantage of you, but it is also very exhausting to hold something back of myself when meeting people and talking with them.  I would rather concentrate on the moment instead of what may happen.  Isn't there a saying about "innocent until proven guilty"?

Although my family and friends do have a point and I concede to the fact that they are trying to protect me, i will still give people the benefit of the doubt. Who knows I might need someone to give me the benefit of the doubt when I call them out of the blue just to say hi.

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