NGD (BE WARNED touchy feely post)

[thesameage]

Enjoy the guitar now and maybe one day you'll have the opportunity to pass it along to someone who really needs it to continue the cycle.

[culturejam]

Wow, that's a stunner guitar. I love those tuning keys. 

[mmlee]

 I think this has converted me to gold hardware. Such a beautiful guitar!

[bcalla]

2 things.

First, the guitar is beautiful.  It reminds me very much of a guitar I used to own - an Ibanez Musician MC500.  It was nicknamed the 'hippie sandwich' because of the layered wood - walnut/maple/walnut.  That is the one guitar I regret selling, so I got a fond memory from looking at the side shot of your new guitar.

Now for the gift.  Your philosophy is perfect ("it would be selfish for me to decline the gift").  My best friend Bill is a CPA and a keyboard player - hobbyist, not pro.  He has done taxes for me for years - and for my parents, now for my daughter, and he has never accepted a cent.  I few years ago I was selling my share of a business to my business partner and the negotiations were not fun.  Bill advised me through the whole process which lasted several months.  When the deal finally closed, my wife and I knew that Bill would not take any money from us.  So we bought him a keyboard - a Hammond SK1 - and of course he couldn't refuse it.  I know he has an old Hammond spinet in storage and hasn't played it since the late 70s.  In one respect this was a little selfish on our behalf because we got so much joy from this act.  By accepting this guitar you gave your friend a gift.  I recommend that you make sure he has an opportunity to hear it in action.

[PhiloB]

Thanks bcalla.  That was good to hear.  I had another friend suggest that I play this guitar as much as possible.  I think I will write/record a tune with it.  And I think I will play it as often as I can (where it makes sense:)
Thanks for the support folks.


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[blearyeyes]

Better to give than to receive!
Your friend gets the blessing of giving you something wonderful.
You wouldn't want to deprive him of that. 

[atreidesheir]

I have met Phil and can say he is a guide and mentor to more than a few people.  His humility is beautiful and honest.  The world will be a better place because you have this gift.

[pickdropper]

The cool thing about a gift freely given is that it doesn't require justification.  Some of my favorite gifts in the past have been when the person wasn't expecting anything at all.  That makes it more special and surprising. 

I would bet that your friend felt really good doing this.  Imagine if he had worked really hard to put it together, was excited to give it to you and you had declined.  That guitar was built specifically for you and I don't think you should feel any guilt about it.  It's cool to just enjoy it and appreciate the generosity of your friend.

[Jabulani Jonny]

Holy smokes man, that's a gorgeous axe. 

[gordo]

I didn't do anything in my own power.  I was 'in the right place at the right time' in this guys life.

That's the God part 

You were in exactly the right place and the right time, as designed. What a spectacular story and a guitar to match.  Life is very humbling sometimes.

I had a similar experience when the worship leader I've been serving with for a good number of years now showed up at my house with a Hamer 25th Anniversary (looks like a semi hollow Les Paul). The guitar is like herding cats but just kills when I just let go and work it.

[jkokura]

What a great thing Phil! I hope you use that axe for a lot of great music!

Jacob

[Hogharry]

It's a lovely guitar. Whatever you did to prompt the gift was clearly important to this guy. Sometime we spend so much time looking inwards and thinking about how we feel that we forget that the things we do and the way we are affects how other people feel. It's no good being in the right place at the right time and doing the wrong thing. You should indeed complete the circle and accept the gift in the spirit that was intended. You may feel uncomfortable but the gift is probably a way for him to repay a debt, or at least to make things more balanced. If fact the giving may feel uncomfortable for him, but not a uncomfortable as the imbalance.

Just play it.

[PhiloB]

Thanks for all the support.  My intention now is to play the guitar and play it a lot:)
I sat down with a good friend last night and talked with him about it.  He knows my history.  He wasn't surprised that I was struggling with this.  It was obvious to him that all this was related to how I grew up - all gifts came with rules and strings attached.  It's funny that I'm 41 years old and some of the old lies and garbage from my childhood still taint how I currently see the world around me.
I greatly appreciate everyone's comments and support.  This is a great forum.  It was out of character for me to share something like this so publicly.  I am glad I did.

You guys rock!!

And Charles, I appreciate your encouragement and I'm really glad our paths crossed.


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