Beastie Boys - Sabotage
Blog Location - House on Genesee
Well, for all the times that you've gone through the pain of a sad experience, you've probably also had the opportunity to get somebody through one.
To me, it is a great feeling to know that listening, working through drama, and most importantly, bringing somebody back from that pain contributes to the strengthening of a friendship. When you reveal deep, dark, painful emotions, it tends to help friends bond (that is, as long as the friends are the only people to know about those deep, dark painful emotions- we'll assume blackmail isn't part of friendship, at least for this entry).
Now, I'm not saying that good friendships don't always go through that, but I think that the majority of them do. Who doesn't remember a friend being there for you when your car got trashed, or when you lost a loved one, or when the last Backstreet Boys CD sold out in 23 minutes.
We're all endowed with gifts- talents, traits, inclinations that favor us over others. If we are able to find these "gifts," then I guess there is nothing more suitable than to be able to use them for good, to benefit others, or most importantly, to spread the glory of God.
If you love children, volunteer at an after-school program, or teach Sunday School. If you can cook, teach somebody (like us single guys ;-)) how, so that he will eat for more than one day. Or make lunch for the congregation. If you can play an instrument, enlighten us with your skill, or join the praise team.
For me, I think one of my strongest gifts is my ability to listen. People can trust me with much, and in turn, they tend to be pretty loyal to me too. I feel that I've been able to utilize these skills as a leader to great advantage, opening doors into areas that wouldn't have been open to be otherwise. Even if I may not agree with somebody, I'll still have the respect of the people I'm talking to, because they know that I understand, and that they are being heard.
If you can utilize your talents all the time, go for it (especially if it's a job). Don't feel short changed. Don't feel like you have to accomplish something because of those gifts. Let it be a way for you to be noticed and recognized (without seeking that alone).
With talent comes envy. With talent comes the fact that people want to stretch you much further than you can go without feeling broken. And with that feeling comes a sense of uselessness, a sense of heck, being used...and being discarded.
Right now, there's the possibility that some people are taking advantage of me, in a way that I never would have imagined. I won't say who, but it's making me realize that sometimes, when you try to help somebody, give your heart, but don't waste your time either. There are cases when giving somebody too much help weakens them, and makes them too dependent on you.
I don't feel, used, per se, but I do feel like people sometimes desire for more attention than they ought to be merited, and well, they just ought to sit down, shut up, and listen...to themselves, to their surroundings, to the monsterous beings they've become.
People can only whine for so long before they get on their feet and do something about it, and people can only listen for so long because they realize that their help isn't going to do anything, or it's doing more harm than good.
So for today, and just for today, how about this?
I don't give a sh*t.
Get a life.
Live a life.
