Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

The Gift of Giving

I received a review today from a member called WriterRick...it was a great review...very detailed, and I must admit, I was quite flattered that he thought my story was good. And as a return gesture, I reviewed something of his. When you think about it, this gift of reviewing we give to each other is, if we all participate, like a perfect dynamo that should never run out of energy.

Thanking him in my reply, I pointed out one of the reasons I don't review as much as I should. Taking the time from our lives and gifting that to someone here on WdC should, in my opinion, receive a reply of thanks, at the very least. And if possible, a review of their (or someone else's) work in return.

Unfortunately, there have been times when I have reviewed someone's work and heard nothing back from them. I found this to be very disappointing and it has led me to become somewhat bitter, not just towards them, but towards the act of reviewing. I know I shouldn't have allowed a few people's thoughtless actions to affect me in such a negative way, but it has.

I know if it happens to let it go, but the truth is, as much as I may try to put it in the past, it has had an effect. I cannot help but think how different it would be if everyone was more courteous and showed the reviewer our appreciation and respect by simply saying thank you.

And even in our lives offline, giving randomly is such a great thing to do and benefits not just the recipient, but us as well. I imagine random acts of kindness would cause elevated levels of dopamine to flow through our bodies.

This giving attitude is part and parcel for many people, but it has only been in the last few years that I have become aware of how important it is. Because if we don't, it deprives us of a very special feeling. Buddhists know this all too well, and although giving shouldn't be viewed in this way, I doubt much good karma comes the way of selfish people.

As the weeks go by, the couple from my Tuesday group, Ash and Tamara (who I was, at first, reluctant to become friends with), have become closer to me. Ash and I are now firm friends and he has a birthday coming up this weekend. About a year ago, his cousin died. They played guitar together, and after the loss, Ash stopped playing and sold his guitar. I had no idea about this. I knew that he played and didn't own an instrument, but not the reason why.

Now, to me, a guitarist without a guitar is a tragedy, and with his birthday coming up, I put my feelers out and a friend (the one I spoke about a few days ago who smokes lots of pot) found a really nice Ibanez acoustic with a stand on Facebook Marketplace...and it was a bargain. So, with my upgraded awareness of how good it would feel to give something that I hoped would mean a lot (and much better than a bottle of alcohol) to him, yesterday, I presented it to him.

I wanted him to have a few days to practice, so he could get used to it and perhaps play some tunes at his party. And that's when he told me about his cousin. I could see how moved he was (and I was too), but as soon as he picked it up and began to play, I think we both knew it was meant to be. His art had been lost from his life, but now, it's back.

The friendships we lose because of addiction are now being replaced. The fact is that friendships are one of the main things addiction rips away from us, but once we find our way out of the haze, those losses make us realise what it is we risk if we weaken and risk everything we have worked for.