“Here you go.” Guy hands me free bread.
“Thanks, that’s really lovely”. I take it and walk out.
It was really thoughtful because I wanted to buy this bread the week before but they ran out. The guy who worked there remembered that and sought to make amends. He didn’t have to do that. I was not upset with him or his establishment, it’s just one of those things that happens. Sometimes other people buy stuff before you get there. That’s okay.
I was pretty excited about my free bread though.
As I was reflecting on it, I wondered if he knew how pleased I was? Was I thankful enough? Should I have pushed back so that he knew I understood it was a big deal? Kind of like:
Guy handing me free bread: “Here you go”
Me: “I couldn’t possible take it, let me pay.”
Guy with bread: “No, that’s fine. It’s my gift to you.”
Me: “Are you sure? I feel like I’m ripping you off.”
Guy with bread: “Of course it’s fine. This is my shop, I can do what I want and I what I want to do is to give you free bread.”
Me: “At least let me pay a little.”
Guy with bread: “Just take the damn bread!”
Okay, that was maybe a little over the top, but you get my drift. What is the right amount of hesitation before taking a gift?
Honestly, I don’t think it really matters. Maybe a little hesitation and push back is good, but we need to make sure we don’t stand in the way of someone else getting the joy of being generous to us.
The Generosity Guy 