“When Giving Turns into Taking: The Shift You Never See Coming”

Happy Sunday Folks!

Have you ever notice how some people glow with gratitude when they’re down bad — but the second they get a little stability, a little comfort, a little something — it’s like you never existed? Yeah. That’s the part they don’t tell you about helping people.

When someone has nothing, they’ll humble themselves real quick. Every gesture feels like a miracle. A ride, a meal, a favor, a listening ear — they’ll act like you’re heaven-sent. But give it a few months. Let them get a little check, a new car, or start hanging in new circles… suddenly they’ve got “boundaries.” Suddenly, you’re “too intense,” or they “need to focus on themselves.”

And you just stand there like, “Wow. So that’s what gratitude sounds like on mute.”

But here’s the truth — when people are struggling, you’re not just helping them financially or emotionally. You’re feeding a need for survival. The appreciation they show is real in that moment. But when life starts giving them options again, that same survival instinct can twist into ego. The same hand they once held for help now reminds them of who they used to be — and some can’t handle that mirror.

So they distance themselves, not because you did anything wrong, but because you remind them of when they were weak.

Let’s be real — helping people is risky business. It’s emotional investment with zero guarantees. You pour into someone hoping they’ll grow, but sometimes they just outgrow you. And it stings because your intentions were pure. You didn’t help to be owed, but you sure didn’t expect to be ghosted or disrespected either.

Here’s the takeaway though — help anyway.**
Because who you are when someone has nothing says more about you than who they become when they finally have something.**

Just don’t confuse loyalty with servitude. You can love people without letting them leech. You can be generous without being gullible. And when the tables turn and you finally ask for help, don’t be shocked if silence answers back. That’s not karma — that’s a lesson.

A lesson that not everyone you lift will stay at your level.
Some will rise and forget.
Some will fall and blame.
And a rare few — the real ones — will remember.

Those few? Keep them close. Because in a world full of “switch-ups,” gratitude is the real luxury.