If a beneficiary is to be an active recipient…

If a beneficiary is to be an active recipient, that individual has some work to do, too. That work may include: Ask yourself, "What are my dreams? What are the activities that I feel best engaged in? What are my strengths? What are my internal hurdles? When have I worked and grown through working? If I haven't, where might I get that experience? What are the important relationships in my life? Do I feel able to advocate for myself? If not, where can I learn that skill?" Write a letter or email to the trustee introducing yourself, describing your hopes or aspirations, and setting out some things that you would like to talk about or learn about at your first meeting. Read the trust document and come to the meeting prepared with questions. Review your own narratives about trustees, about the grantor, and about yourself as a beneficiary. Are those narratives helpful or do they get in the way? Finally, cultivate a spirit of gratitude. That may be a hard step, especially if the grantor is long gone or is someone with whom you had a difficult relationship. Maybe then the gratitude focuses on some other aspect of being a member of this family, or on goods that have come from other experiences in your life. Whatever the source, expressing gratitude is an important part of completing a gift.

— from The Air Traffic Controller (God)

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