Am I being selfish? I think I may be.

[William]

Lol, I shouldn't admit to this - but I went to a pre-Christmas do with my parents this evening (we just got back, and I'm tucked up in bed,) where we exchanged pressies with a couple who live nearby. I don't have much money, and they said they liked my piano playing, so on my mum's urging, I spent like a whole month practising some quite difficult pieces, and made a CD for them. That seemed to go over well.

But they said they had something for me, and I must admit I was looking forward to opening the package. It looked more like an envelope, so greedy old me thought -"Oh goody, cash!"

When I opened it, I found a card about an animal shelter, with a picture of a possum on it. Inside was a note thanking me for a donation to the shelter. That was my Christmas present.

I like animals, and I wouldn't have minded making the donation if I had the money, but I must admit I was a smidge disappointed - like they didn't ask me if I wanted to donate. It was a good cause, and I bet they felt good about themselves donating to the shelter, but I felt it wasn't much of a Christmas gift to me.

So am I being a selfish arsehole for feeling that way? Be honest!

[Crepitus]

You're still a kid.

You are allowed.

[Standing Wolf]

We've all had those moments - they pass, and we forgive ourselves for them and we move on.

When you get to be my age - which is about a half century in advance of your own - you start to think about your legacy... what good you might have done in your brief time on the planet. It's most definitely not going to be the stuff you've managed to pile up, or the good times you've had. If that money went, as I'm sure it did, to keep some homeless little pups and kitties housed and fed, that's a good thing.

So if it's true that you had a moment of selfishness and were disappointed at not getting some money, the more you think about it the more, I'm sure, those feelings will pass and you'll be happy that it happened the way it did.

[Common]

Nothing wrong with disappointment William you will have many just like we all have. In this case theres absolution in that a good deed was done to help animals.

I would have been disappointed too when I was a youngster but now that im older, I donate to the local shelter regularly and that makes me feel a whole lot better than getting a gift.

[midcan5]

Sorta normal to feel that way, but I think when people grow up with little they somehow manage to have more honest and sincere values than those born far up the food chain. I hope our grand kids appreciate all they have as they have lots. Kinda weird for me to think being poor makes you a better person?

"At her birthday, my seven-year-old daughter will say that she wants these big cakes and certain expensive toys as presents, and I can't say no to her. It would just break my heart. But when I was little, for birthdays we just played outside and we were happy if we got any cake." Goran Ivanisevic

And should you want to do something unusual, see below. Even as the right wing in America tries to damage and control media, there are still many Americans who think and realize the importance of a free press.

'You Are Not Alone: Send A Letter Of Support To A Writer At Risk'

https://pen.org/you-are-not-alone-2017/


“The trick never ages; the illusion never wears off. Vote to stop abortion; receive a rollback in capital gains taxes. Vote to make our country strong again; receive deindustrialization. Vote to screw those politically correct college professors; receive electricity deregulation. Vote to get government off our backs; receive conglomeration and monopoly everywhere from media to meatpacking. Vote to stand tall against terrorists; receive Social Security privatization. Vote to strike a blow against elitism; receive a social order in which wealth is more concentrated than ever before in our lifetimes, in which workers have been stripped of power and CEOs are rewarded in a manner beyond imagining.” Thomas Frank, 'What's the Matter With Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America'

[leekohler2]

Sorta normal to feel that way, but I think when people grow up with little they somehow manage to have more honest and sincere values than those born far up the food chain. I hope our grand kids appreciate all they have as they have lots. Kinda weird for me to think being poor makes you a better person?

"At her birthday, my seven-year-old daughter will say that she wants these big cakes and certain expensive toys as presents, and I can't say no to her. It would just break my heart. But when I was little, for birthdays we just played outside and we were happy if we got any cake." Goran Ivanisevic

And should you want to do something unusual, see below. Even as the right wing in America tries to damage and control media, there are still many Americans who think and realize the importance of a free press.

'You Are Not Alone: Send A Letter Of Support To A Writer At Risk'

https://pen.org/you-are-not-alone-2017/


“The trick never ages; the illusion never wears off. Vote to stop abortion; receive a rollback in capital gains taxes. Vote to make our country strong again; receive deindustrialization. Vote to screw those politically correct college professors; receive electricity deregulation. Vote to get government off our backs; receive conglomeration and monopoly everywhere from media to meatpacking. Vote to stand tall against terrorists; receive Social Security privatization. Vote to strike a blow against elitism; receive a social order in which wealth is more concentrated than ever before in our lifetimes, in which workers have been stripped of power and CEOs are rewarded in a manner beyond imagining.” Thomas Frank, 'What's the Matter With Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America'

And that is the truth.

[Ethereal]

Assuming this story is true, it is a stupid present. In fact, it doesn't even qualify as a present. How gauche of them.

[Kalkin]

I like animals, and I wouldn't have minded making the donation if I had the money, but I must admit I was a smidge disappointed - like they didn't ask me if I wanted to donate. It was a good cause, and I bet they felt good about themselves donating to the shelter, but I felt it wasn't much of a Christmas gift to me.

Donating money of your own free will is a virtue. When someone else decides for you, it's rather insulting, imho.

[resister]

I remember a TV show "Black Jesus" Black jesus said "it's MY birthday, everybody get presents but me, sup withdat"

[leekohler2]

It is kind of odd. I would never donate as a gift for someone unless they specifically stated to me, "no gifts other than donations". And that does indeed happen. My parents request that frequently.

You gave them something really nice that took a lot of work on your part. They assumed you wanted to donate to a cause without asking you. I think that's rather rude, quite frankly.