A burnt child dreads the fire (Kilala.nl (Cailin Coilleach)) by Cailin Coilleach

A few years ago I learnt a hard lesson, a very hard one, which led me to the following principle: do not do business with friends or relatives. (I'm surprised I didn't list it in my list of beliefs) If anything should ever go wrong, it can only end in tears and heartbreak, which is not something I particularly enjoy.

To take the earlier proverb to an extreme: Who has been scalded with hot soup blows on cold water.

These days this principle's grown into a caricature of its original form. I've grown so weary of making deals with loved and trusted ones that it took me a few days to ask my father for a loan (which happened a few months back).

Tonight though, I'm being put to a test. My friend Dirk has made me an offer which is good. Very good. But in spite of that, a very large part of my reason is saying that it's too risky, even though there is no real risk to us. I will have to mull over this for a while... Maybe sleep will bring the answer.

Posted in: business , friends , price , principles , relatives