rooftop

Giver

How much more of ourselves can we give? How much more can others take before they realize what it is they're taking?
Sometimes it feels like you're running a marathon just to keep someone entertained. They have your complete attention when they speak, your wallet open when they need anything. You drop what you're doing when their name pops up on your phone, and even pay for long distance calls just to ask about their day. You do your best to make them smile no matter how bad their day is and you genuinely care when they tell you their stories. This kind of devotion is never reciprocated, but neither is it often appreciated.
Instead, you seem to get taken advantage of. They always tell you how much they love you and how much they mean to you, but when it comes down to it you become less and less of a priority as their life becomes filled with newer and more interesting people. You fall down the ladder but you can never acknowledge it, because you know it cannot be intentional. You accept it, because you would take it all in order to preserve your relationship, because the few times you do connect like you did in the past are the most important things in the world to you, and you hope that someday they realize this.
And you hope that they haven't already.
And then things seem to fade, no matter how tightly you hold on. Yet still, at the end of the day you cannot let go. It hurts to watch your friend leave you behind, but you know they're walking towards better things.
What if I'm that friend? What if you are?

And why?
Why do we continue to live our lives for others? Why do we give with only the hope of something in return? It's been said that humans are not naturally generous, not naturally prone to prioritizing others' needs, but that's exactly how we tend to be.
I don't have an answer either. I just like asking questions.