Once upon a while, we scoured the city for an apartment that someone vacationing wanted to stay at. She and her spouse were not on good terms then and she didn't wish to go home to her in-laws. So yes, she reached out to us, asked a favor and we obliged without expecting anything in return.
It took us 3 days to find a suitable place, pay the required deposits, and then spend a few hours to tidy it up. On her arrival day, I prepared warm (hot) meals plus a lovely cake welcoming her (all takeaway). I was quite excited to see her and thought we could catch up. While we were not close, we have known each other for some years and they (she and her brother) ran a few times to me when they were still in school.
Anyway, she arrived, took a quick tour of the two-bedroom apartment, ate the food we set on the table, put the cake aside, and slumped on the sofa sighing now and then without much words. I thought she must have been jetlagged, exhausted, or not in the mood for a chitchat so we left to give her time and space to rest. She stayed for two weeks and while she refunded the amount we paid for the deposits, there was no indication that she was thankful or appreciative of what we had done for her. She acted entitled which made me cringe at some point.
But even then, we thought her problems took the better of her so she was like that. So we brushed things off, wished her well, and hoped things would work out with them.
At another time, she needed a certain document for an important application. Perhaps there was no one else she could ask a favor that she thought of us. We helped her yet again, produced the needed documentation, had it notarized, and then express-mailed it to her. We were not surprised when we didn't hear from her afterward.
While we knew she had a bit of an attitude and we were not expecting her to be humble, we felt she lacked good values which is quite a disappointment. It's just crazy for one to be acting all high and mighty even when she was the one asking for favors. Anyway, we just laughed it out and let things go. There was no point in keeping a hurting feeling for something we had no control over. As my sister says, "Charge it to experience," lol!
I think helping others is an innate, natural thing. We have it all in us. The husband and I have extended our hands to others voluntarily and at times, when asked for certain favors. While we don't expect things in return, it feels nice when people say thank you. It's a simple act of appreciation that (I think) we all like to receive from time to time.
While I have swept the experience under the rug, I was reminded of our past experiences with her upon reading one of the previous topics on the September in Leo.
Have you ever done a good thing for someone, and they were unappreciative? How did you feel? would you want to do something for them again?
With what we experienced, would we want to do something for her again?
Yes. Maybe by the time she needed our aid, she would be mature and well-mannered enough to say thank you :) If not, then it's her loss, not ours yeah? We help anyway when we can.
Picture is by Lalesh Aldarwish. Also linked directly to its source. 07092024/23:47 utc