Carson and I made a trip to Kohl's to purchase some clothing. Afterwards, Carson came into possession of a $15 gift card for some reason. He tried to give it to me because he put his purchases on my Kohl's credit card. I said no. He insisted. I still said no.
Fast forward...
The required reading in a management class was The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Being the cheap person I am, I asked Carson if I could borrow the book for the duration of the class. I picked it up from his house and brought it home to begin reading. Stuffed in the middle of the book was the Kohl's gift card.
Fast forward...
Carson invited me to eat dinner at his house one night. The meal was delicious, and it was time to depart. As I walked out the screen door and Carson was shutting the big door behind me, I tossed the Kohl's card back through the doorway just as it was shutting.
Fast forward...
Carson went to Kohl's and used the gift card to purchase things for me without my knowledge. That way, the gift card can't be transferred anymore, and the items, which were purchased specifically for me, could not be returned.
I have a hard time accepting things from other people. I'm very independent and like to do things on my own. In the case of the gift card purchases, those items were purchased specifically for me. From my perspective, not accepting the gifts makes no sense; they've already been purchased. From his perspective, he wants me to use them for exactly the same reason.
The only reason I would not accept it is to prove a point. If I'm trying to do everything on my own, I have a long, lonely life ahead of me. It would be better be accept the things that are given to me (items cannot be returned) and look to pay it forward in the future.