As a twin, I grew up sharing at a young age. From the womb to toys to bedrooms, nothing was ever just my own. Sharing is a good thing usually. It really is easier to make friends and get along with others when not intent on keeping everything to yourself. There is a limit, however. Sometimes people take sharing to the extreme.
It sounds like I’m being petty to complain about people sharing too much. Some might argue sharing too much is better than not sharing at all. It’s hard to say. If it were about sharing fortunes, chocolate chip cookies and helpful advice, I’d agree. The sharing that holds me up is the kind that is the result of another person not thinking about or being considerate to others. Those who feel sharing the road means I should also share my car lane with them. Those who feel my wireless internet service is a free for all…like I’m Starbuck’s or something. Those who have a cold or the flu and don’t feel complete until they’ve included me in the party. Those who are unable to say something nice, but have a knack for sharing advice and commentary that irritates and offends.
It would be easier to swallow the above offenses if those involved were just so tuned into sharing they couldn’t separate the good from the bad. I have a sneaky suspicion that is not the case, however. I remember returning to my car in the grocery store parking lot to find someone had attempted to share my parking space. A 15 inch scratch decorated my rear bumper. Funny how there wasn’t a note on my window offering to share the repair bill.
With the holidays approaching, we tend to take a little more time to reflect on how we treat others and what we can do better in the New Year. I think it would be good if we all looked at how we could make sharing good things a bigger part of our lives. Even if we occasionally share things that aren’t so great, the positive should always outweigh the negative.
