Being a giving person comes naturally to those of us born with "a good heart." But one must be aware of those personal Vampires out there willing to suck the blood out of our existence.
I know a former friend who's a psycopath and lives to use people and generate as much pain in their lives no matter how much good they do for him. That old saying "no good deed goes unpunished" is alive and kicking in everything that he does.
It took awhile for me to see him for what he was, as I'd never met a psycopath before and didn't know the signs and stages involved. Now that I do, I try to warn the people being used (and abused) by him, but desperate people cause the warnings to fall on deaf ears. They will learn, but always the hard way...
Very grateful for sharing your experience, and words like these.