Petit à petit, Yuan fait son nid.

Lesson 72 Be generous

Weeks ago, we asked for a specialized service company to clean the ventilation system in our house.

Normally, the system needs to be cleaned once every 4-5 years.

The service cost was 590$.

So I prepared 600$, including a 10$ tip.

But when the time came to pay for the service, José said, “A 10$ tip is not enough. There are two people working here. They worked hard. So it has to be 10$ for each person.”

He asked me to give them another 10$.

Since I was doing something else at that moment, I was reluctant to go fetch the money.

So I said, “There is no obligation for us to give them a tip. 600$ is Ok.”

José said, “No, it is not about the obligation ; it is about “Savoir vivre”. Yuan, you need to learn to be more generous.”

Normally José is a very nice and easy going person.

But if it comes to something that he believes is important, he could become very serious.

So when I looked at his face, I didn’t say anything but I went to fetch another 10$.

José said, “Good girl.”

And then he thanked the two workers sincerely and paid them.

After they left, José talked a while with me.

In general, he explained to me a very serious point which is that “It is very important to always be generous with people.”

He said, “You know, Yuan, there is a balance in life somewhere, which we can not see, but it is there.

This balance weighs all of the “gives” and the “takes” we make in life. And if we keep giving, at last, we will find that we are always getting more than we have been giving in life.”

He also said that, “It is like seeding. Let’s say that there are 100 people and you help all of them.

It is quite possible that 99 people out of those will simply get your help ; turn around and leave, without even saying thank you to you.”

“They will totally take it for granted and forget you. “

“But it is Ok. The only one person who really appreciates and recognizes your help will give you back all of your rewards, and then some.
And what this person could give you back is much more than what the other 99 people would give you.”

José said, “Good girl.”

José said, “You keep saying that I am very lucky ; that I am very lucky to meet you, to meet Xiao Pang, and his family. But you will be astonished to know how many people I helped in my life. I think that life is giving me back what I gave to the others. And it is really a very big reward.”

“I am very happy to have been given the privilege to cross you in my life, and keep you in my path. But I also feel that I earned it.”

He said, “Of course, when we give, we are not calculating. Otherwise, we would keep being disappointed.”

“We should always feel happy when we help people and we are generous. Because at that exact moment we know that we are truly good ourselves. That is the reward we get.”

I said, “Not many tips nowadays.”

José said, “But are you happy when you get one ?”

I said, “Yes, sure.”

José said, “So, be generous.”