“There is also the reality of being a Black woman who is asked to help more than I am offered help, which is difficult to reconcile as someone who genuinely wants to help but is barely making it on their own.”
WHEW, I felt this!! Often times when people approach me to “pick my brain”, it feels more like they’re trying to consume me. Like you mentioned, I think people would benefit from remembering that collaboration also means being in alignment, and being in alignment means seriously considering what you can offer the other person in addition to receiving from them. It’s not an all-you-can-eat buffet where food continuously refills itself for your consumption.
“There is also the reality of being a Black woman who is asked to help more than I am offered help, which is difficult to reconcile as someone who genuinely wants to help but is barely making it on their own.”
WHEW, I felt this!! Often times when people approach me to “pick my brain”, it feels more like they’re trying to consume me. Like you mentioned, I think people would benefit from remembering that collaboration also means being in alignment, and being in alignment means seriously considering what you can offer the other person in addition to receiving from them. It’s not an all-you-can-eat buffet where food continuously refills itself for your consumption.
Exactly. Consumption is the perfect way to describe this kind of behavior.