Love with No Pricetag

 Love, if truly and freely given, is not transactional. Any thought of tit-for-tat gives it a negative vibe, and won’t be effectively seen as a gift. If I do something nice for someone else, then mentally keep a scorecard, I haven’t done that deed out of love, which keeps both parties in a state of tension. I seek release! When I share in the true spirit of Step 12, I am exhibiting for both of us the value of Love. 

This was a revelation to me. My mental scorecards took no notice of kindness shown to me, because I questioned the ‘why’ behind it. What were they getting out of it? I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of feeling proud of themselves at my expense. What a cynical being I’ve been! It was simply a reflection of my inner justifications. I recognized kindness, but if I truly believed in it’s purity, I couldn’t excuse my own thoughts and I could ‘act’ kind, and act surprised when that kindness - which I expected - was returned.

The truth is, as today’s author noted, showing love without expectation of a return is a gift to my own sobriety. I don’t see that as a selfish, negative thing; rather, it solidifies the principles in the ways in which I see life, as well as how well I represent Love in action.

You can’t put a price on that.


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