"Which Gifts to Accept,"

---

by Kishor from Hyderbad, India...
A tale is told of an Indian prince and spiritual leader. This short story illustrates that every one of us has the choice whether or not to take personal offense from another person's behavior.

It is said that on occasion, when he was teaching a group of people, he found himself on the receiving end of a fierce outburst of abuse from a bystander, who was for some reason very angry.

He listened patiently while the stranger vented his rage, and then the prince said to the group and to the stranger, "If someone gives a gift to another person, who then chooses to decline it, tell me, who would then own the gift? The giver or the person who refuses to accept the gift?"

"The giver," said the group after a little thought. "Any fool can see that," added the angry stranger.

"Then it follows, does it not," he said, "Whenever a person tries to abuse us, or to unload their anger on us, we can each choose to decline or to accept the abuse; whether to make it ours or not. By our personal response to the abuse from another, we can choose who owns and keeps the bad feelings.

Reminding you not all "Gifts" are good. Especially at this time of year, with short tempers at stores, remember whether you accept something or not determines whether it becomes part of you, and it is easier to let negativity bounce off of you than stay part of you. So have a happy time shopping or what ever you are going to be doing.

---