There’s an old saying: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. That’s true enough, but it doesn’t tell you what you should do with the bird once you have it.
I like to think of myself as a generous man. So when the opportunity comes up to share my good fortune with others, I rarely hesitate. Being a 50-something, I have some experience with reading people and I don’t usually get burned.
There was that one time, though. I’d received a hefty bonus for a project that I’d literally put blood into, and there was a happy hour to celebrate the successful close. A coworker was down on his luck–wife left him, parents deceased, not a lot of support. He asked for a loan, and in my good spirits it did not occur to me to turn him down.
He left the company shortly after, taking my money–and sense of generosity–with him. I tried reaching him, but my calls went unanswered and my emails ignored. I can’t imagine what would motivate someone to take advantage of others like that, but that day I learned that coworkers and friends are mutually exclusive.
This post was submitted by jockamo.