Giving and receiving is one cycle just as the in breath and the out breath are one. Breathing in we receive, breathing out we give, one breath inseparable until the final breath that separates us from our body. When we live with a generous heart, we live in the balance of giving and receiving as one, neither only being the giver nor shutting down our ability to be the receiver.
Without giving and receiving as one, there is no balance. There is only the breath in without the breath out or the breath out without the breath in.
When we give without receiving, we feel safe. As long as I am giving to you, you are beholden to me; you must love me, because look how much I give to you; you can never leave me, because I give you so much, etc.
When we shut down our receiving, we also feel safe. I don’t owe anyone anything; no one ever wants to help me, but I don’t need their help; people always expect something in return; I don’t like feeling beholden to anyone, etc. When we treat giving and receiving as separate, we are not free to have healthy, balanced relationships. We are not living with a generous heart.
Recently, I was entering the checkout line at the grocery store when a lady pushed her cart in front of me. I veered and moved over to the next aisle. She then pulled back and also veered to the same aisle so quickly that I had to jump back. For some reason, she needed to be in front of me at the checkout lane, and I could either accept that and live with a generous heart or spend the waiting time in frustration. In that moment of time, I chose the former and stayed in the peace and harmony of a generous heart.
When we choose the generous heart, Spirit works through us in miraculous ways that are beneficial to us and to others. As it turned out, the lady did not have enough money to pay for her purchases. She was 66 cents short. I’m sure you know what happened next. I was able to give her $1, something most of us would do, but there’s more to this story.
Only moments before, I had been in a place of lack, feeling frustrated because of the need to watch what I spent because of a low cash flow. When the lady cut in front of me, my frustration intensified. When she cut in front of me a second time, I made the conscious decision to change my experience by moving into a generous heart. When we move into a generous heart, life becomes lighter and brighter, and our awareness heightens. (How many times has someone in front of us needed help, but our awareness was not lit by a generous heart, so we were unaware of the other’s need?) When I moved into a generous heart, I became aware of the lady’s need, and I was able to help.
“Thank you,” she said. Without looking at me, she asked for my name and address to repay me.
“Pass it forward,” I said.
She then turned and looked at me, and I saw her, saw the woman I hadn’t seen when I was caught in my frustration. Now I saw her truth, a woman beaten down by life. One side of her mouth drooped by Bell’s Palsy or a stroke. Her tee shirt was misshapen and hung loose around her neck and shoulders, which were hunched over in weariness. Our eyes met, locked, and love entered. I felt her gratitude in my heart, and my heart was lifted and filled with gratitude, gladdened that I had been at the right place at the right time to give $1 to someone who gave so much more to me in our Divine Dance.
Giving: out breath; in breath: receiving. Giving always comes back to us ten-fold. In the mail that afternoon, there was a generous check from someone who wanted to say thanks for helping him along his spiritual path. That evening a friend bought me dinner to say thanks for helping her through her dog’s illness. The next day, another friend paid my way into a festival, just because.
I didn’t say you shouldn’t have. No, I said thank you. I received graciously, which is as important as giving graciously.
It always comes around, this giving and receiving. Always. Whatever we need, whenever we need it, is ours to receive and we are always in the right place at the right time to pass along that which we are to give. Always. As long as we live with a generous heart receiving and giving graciously.
Breathing in and breathing out; giving and receiving. One.