Borrowing & Lending

I have always been dependable. That isn't bragging but I know it is true. Where ever I work, I get so much sent my way because as one person put it "Give a job to Ray and you can forget about it, because you know it will be done".

I thought everyone was like that but my mother warned me about lending because as she said not everyone is like you. I found out the hard way when goods were not returned or came back damaged. Now I just don't want to lend to anyone. I don't like borrowing either, preferring to buy what I need.

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend". So said Shakespear and it's true.

A neighbour we are on reasonably friendly terms with came over and wanted to borrow a chilly bin. They wanted it for beer at the beach and a friend had borrowed their chilly bin and never returned it. We use it to store food items we buy in bulk such as spices and it's a nice one. We had to empty it out and they could see that it was used so promised to have it back by late afternoon.

Well, that came and went. We noticed them home early enough but the next morning and still nothing. We decided to go over and get it ourselves. It was clean and undamaged but I sense they were in no hurry to return it as promised.

If I did promise to return something, it will happen or an timely explanation if something has made that impossible. That's a value system that I find easy to live with. It's based on consideration and respect for others, something I appreciate from others too.