Privilege

 Some people think of helping others as something we should do out of obligation, as in "love your neighbor."  There is another group, with whom I find myself, that believes helping others, being of service, is a privilege.  Why a privilege?  Because it is an opportunity that helps to make oneself well.  Service is a privilege because it makes me a better person, gets me out of negativity, and displaces bad behavior on my part.  I become, in that moment of being helpful, a less selfish, self-centered and self-pitying person.  When I was a kid and cleaned my room I was resentful while doing it.  I wanted to go out and play.  But I was a kid then.  I don't want to be a kid now.  When I clean my room now, I am grateful that I have a room,  with stuff in it that is useful to me.  While I am cleaning the room I generally do not practice bad behavior.    There is one exception.  When the vacuum bag is full even before I start to vacuum, I do put the last person who used the vacuum, on my resentment list.