The Story of “Giving Too Much”ーThe Story Behind the Birth of KaradaNaoru (5)
- Admin
- May 28
- 2 min read
Back when I was still living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I discovered a service called Couchsurfing.
The idea was simple: if you had an empty couch or spare room, you could host travelers from around the world. And when you traveled abroad yourself, someone else might host you in return.
This was long before Airbnb became mainstream — it was a far more idealistic and almost pastoral kind of platform.
I loved the concept immediately, so I decided to open up my home in Buenos Aires.
Recently, I reread some of the blog posts I had written back then.
They were from January 2012 — nearly fourteen years ago now.
And yet, I still remember those days surprisingly clearly.
For the longest time, I thought the first Couchsurfing guest we hosted was a Dutch guy named Lucas.
But when I checked my old blog, I realized that wasn’t true.
Apparently, the very first guest was actually a German woman named Katrin.
Oddly enough, I barely remember her at all.
Which probably means everything went smoothly.
She had apparently lived in Japan before and spoke some Japanese, so communication with my wife must have been easy and natural.
Good relationships often leave surprisingly quiet memories.
Lucas, on the other hand, I remember very well.
Because he showed absolutely no signs of leaving.
To be fair, I was partly responsible.
I took him out for a “welcome dinner” at a famous steakhouse in Buenos Aires.
Every day there was free food.
Free wine.
And of course, free accommodation.
Looking back now, it was completely over the top.
Eventually, my wife’s patience ran out.
And honestly, I myself became exhausted from constantly taking care of him.
Perhaps things would have been different if a genuine friendship had developed from the experience.
But after he left, we never spoke again.
People tend to keep taking when they are endlessly given to.
And for me, giving has always felt almost too natural.
I suspect that comes from my father’s DNA.
Of course, if the other person has a sense of balance and consideration, it usually works fine.
But every now and then, you encounter someone who wants to take advantage of kindness without limit.
And when that happens, you slowly become drained.
Looking back, I realize this has been a recurring pattern throughout my life.
So lately, I’ve finally begun to understand something important.
It is not necessary to stop giving.
What matters is choosing carefully where that generosity is directed.
Many years ago, my wife once told me something that I still remember vividly:
“You’re a much kinder person than you realize.That’s why you need to be careful not to be taken advantage of.”
I had no response to that.
▼ Blog posts from those days
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