"Receiving is your gift to the giver..."

Have you ever given somebody a gift and have them say I can't accept that? Have you ever offered somebody a helping hand and heard them refuse as they didn't need your help? What did it feel like when you had made an effort to find a gift or offer assistance to then be refused?

Have you ever refused a gift or the offer of assistance even though you may have loved it? Why do you think that is?

Do you know that in this world of duality - up/down, left/right, happy/sad, that receiving is often the neglected part of the giving cycle. To receive a hug with your full open heart and body is a gift to the giver, to receive kind words with gratitude (rather than shame, degradation and dismissal) is a gift to the giver, to receive a helping hand whenever it is offered is a gift to the giver. The act of receiving is not just a gift to the giver, it is a gift to yourself. How can we make this world a place filled with more love and gratitude happiness and joy, if we cannot receive a gifts that someone has decided to give to us?

It's important to receive the gift for yourself with gratitude, grace and an open heart. Even if the gift is truly unable to be accepted as it may not be appropriate, you can still decline with gratitude that it was offered. A great example of this is when someone offers to take you to dinner on a date, however you are in a relationship and therefore decline the offer. This can still be done with love, honour and gratitude. You know what is right for you, trust that you will respond in the perfect way.

This post was prompted because of the amazing amounts of receiving I have been doing lately...and yes it's sometimes uncomfortable to be at the receiving end of such love and honour, gifts and praise...but I know the importance of balance and therefore the importance to receive as well as give, because without receiving, there is no room for giving.

Thank you to all the Dancing Eros community for all your wonderful words (and gifts each week) that you give to me. A special thank you goes to the women who have just completed the recent journey with Shaney Marie. Thank you for your gifts in the form of words, in the form of hugs, in the form or tears, in the form of dance, in the form of smiles, in the form of vulnerability, in the form of love...and so much more.

Thank you to my wonderful darling Mon Cheri Sebastien. These past 2 weeks I have been showered with more gifts of service, gifts of love, gifts of travel, gifts of experience, gifts of friendship than in any 2 weeks of my life. To celebrate my birthday and our anniversary in so many ways over so many days has been wonderful and I thank you no only for these gifts but also for the gift of helping me to become a better receiver. Your generosity over the past 3 years has been a wonderful gift. Thank you.

So I leave you with a challenge of awareness. The next time you offer a gift and it is not received, remember how it feels. And the next time you are offered a gift, pause a moment before your refusal and think "I can receive this gift, with an open heart and without expectation, it is a gift for me and a gift to the giver".

Love, Health, Happiness to you.

Kara