Kindness Goes Both Ways

Growing up, I was raised to love and serve others. That was how you made the world a better place. I never questioned that purpose, and I still believe in it wholeheartedly. But lately, I have found it harder to live it out with a smile on my face.
The problem with having a servant’s heart is that people notice, and some will take advantage. It feels like there has been a shift in the world. Gone are the days of please and thank you. We live in a time where help is often expected, as though it is owed, whether it has been earned or not.
Work has been one of the hardest places to feel this change. I used to be shown genuine appreciation by my boss and coworkers, and while I never helped for recognition, that acknowledgment felt like salve to the soul. Now, instead of a simple “thank you” when I go above and beyond, I am often met with new tasks that are not even in my job description. That shift has hardened a part of me that once eagerly stepped in to help.
I have noticed the same thing happening in my personal life. When family or friends come over, there are moments when I am expected to do things that are not my responsibility, without so much as a word of gratitude. It is not that I mind helping. It is when it becomes an expectation that it begins to hurt.
In response, I have tried to speak up more and set clearer boundaries. Sometimes those boundaries are respected. Other times, they are ignored, and I do not have the support I need to stand by them. That lack of support, combined with repeated disregard, is discouraging. It drains me mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Each instance might be manageable on its own, but together, they leave me feeling like a hollow version of myself.
I care deeply about the people and things I commit myself to. My exhaustion does not mean I have stopped caring. It means the energy to act on that care is slipping away. I do not think it is too much to ask that kindness be met with kindness, or that respect be mutual. Loving people should not have to mean losing myself.
I still believe in the power of kindness to make the world better. I just hope we can all remember that kindness thrives when it is shared, not hoarded. The more we give and receive it, the more we create a world where loving others never has to cost us our joy.

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