Quote of the day

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by BigV

The only gift is a portion of thyself.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

I find this true. And yet ...

Originally Posted by BigV

...and yet the story of The Giving Tree leaves me conflicted. I am uneasy reading the story, casting myself in the role of the tree. Am I codependent? An enabler? A crippler? Or merely leaning back from the abyss, frightened by my own mortality?

Dogs and people are pack animals, not to be confused with herd animals, and thrive on the give and take of the pack.

The tree gave and received and it made him happy. We may think the tree got the short end of the bargain, but as long as the tree was satisfied, who are we to judge.

looks to me like a parent, child, relationship. The parent constantly giving to the child and receiving pleasure and satisfaction from doing so. Who am I to judge?