Is anything in life ever REALLY free?

The saying goes "the best things in life are free".  Really?

Love is NOT free.  It costs effort, patience, and unconditional understanding.  Sometimes more, i.e. money, but I'll leave that for my gold digger post.  Haven't we all been there?  lol

NOTHING in life is free.  Depending who you are getting this "Freebie" from, it can cost your soul and your pride.  Now, pride is one of the 7 evils, but sometimes I'd rather travel the rough road starving then ask for help.   Others are willing to ask without even trying to get it themselves.  Have they no shame?

Don't get me wrong.  I get lots of freebies from my family.  When The Husband was in the hospital due to a stroke and my little one was still a newborn, I needed help.  When he was transferred to a different hospital because the one in our neighborhood does not have dialysis capabilities, I needed help.  Free baby sitting so Franklin wouldn't be there by himself.  Free rides to pick up The Husband from the hospital because I couldn't drive down.  Free food because I would forgo food to sleep.

I pay the price of guilt.  I hate that I have to impose on my loved ones time and time again.  I can do it on my own and drag my children into the hospital and hope they will sit for a couple of hours so Daddy won't be alone.  I can do it on my own and not bath so I can fall asleep exhausted.  I can do it and stick my kids in daycare and pay their crazy fees with credit card.  I can do it.

Fortunately, I don't have to.  I am forever indebted to them all andwill pay for the rest of my life with guilt, gratitude, love, appreciation, loyalty, and honour for all their free help.