Bad Borrowers

I personally do not like borrowing anything from anyone unless I absolutely have to. The thing is you never know what could go wrong!

If you borrow an outfit, you've got to be super careful and maybe even starve yourself for fear of getting those darn oil stains on it, but as careful as you may be some dimwit may bump into you and drop a bowl or curry or tea (or something) on you. The outfit may somehow get ripped. How do you then return this person's precious outfit to them after that... I once learnt someone one of my favourite jerseys/hoodies and she broke the zipper. I was traumatized! So I certainly wouldn't like to do that to someone as unintentional and accidental as it may be.

With DVDs and CD's too just about anything can happen, the disk could get scratched somehow, it could get jammed in your player... Or any number of things that I can't even think off!

I think I've made my point, so before I end up on bigger things and a never ending post, I'll stop myself.

The major issue is that, as much as I don't mind helping people out and the whole 'sharing is caring' and what not, I really hate it when people ask to borrow stuff. There are certain things I don't mind lending to certain people, because I know that I can trust them with it. But that's a VERY small list - I'm extremely finicky about how I keep the things that are important to me (such as my books and shoes, among other stuff).   The problem is that I have this inability to say no to people. I always end up giving them what they want or doing what they ask for even if it puts me completely out. Which is why I'd rather people just NOT ASK.

I do understand that sometimes things just happen. My friend once learnt me a DVD and I completely forgot about it until a year later and then returned it to her. However, it was in a cupboard in my house all the time!

Anyhoo, so the whole point of this discussion is that last year a friend saw a new DVD at my house and just had to watch it, so she asked to borrow it. Alas, I could not say no. So she took it home with her, and I thought nothing of it. I assumed she was reliable when it came to DVDs and would return it in time. Months passed. I wanted to watch the movie as I had yet to do so. I asked for it, and it turns out she learnt it to someone else, without asking me first! Now this is a HUGE borrowing no-no! You ALWAYS get permission from the owner before lending to a third party!

So I let it slide and said okay, get it back to me when 'third party' is done with it. I ask again a few weeks later and she has forgotten to get it back, but promises to do so ASAP. I leave it to her to get back to me on it as I don't want to seem like a pest constantly nagging about one DVD. Come new year and I decide to ask about it and she has NO idea what I am talking about! She has no recollection of this ever happening and that she owes me a DVD! I'm just angry, but I feel too bad to make a big scene about it and decide to just leave it be and write it off as a movie lost and never to be seen again. (I seriously need to work on my confrontational issues and feeling bad about hurting other people's feelings, 'cause they certainly don't seem to consider mine...).

Then a few months ago, she comes over and helps herself to our DVDs and asks to borrow ANOTHER DVD - I had NO idea what to do. I tried saying no, but it just wouldn't come out! Thank goodness my sister was there and she said no and declared the matter closed - I'd never have been able to it.

The point is, try not to borrow things, and if you do please treat borrowed 'item' with care and remember to RETURN it! Its just rude and bad manners to borrow someone else's stuff and treat it badly and not return it!