Normally, I don't mind sharing. I actually enjoy sharing, most times. But not when I'm forced to share. Or expected to share. A few stories:
Not too long ago I was startled by an adult acquaintance. I didn't know this person well, so when said person came up to me while I was eating my dinner and held out their hand, you can well imagine my response: cocked eyebrow, questioning look and a "huh?" escaped my lips. This person then ASKED me for part of my dinner. What made me even more confused (and a bit angry) was the fact that they had some food of their own! (sigh...)
There's another person in my life that, upon seeing that I have something they want, will come over and screech, "OOOOOOOOooooo!!! Can *I* have some?!?!" This is something that happens frequently, to the point where I just want to rip out my hair and SCREAM!!! And when told, "No, thank you," said person goes off to pout.
Another situation that frustrates me is when I am FORCED to share. I have no power to say, "No, thank you," because I know I will taken aside and asked, "Why CAN'T so and so have that?"
A cute little incident happened the other day. I was sitting and eating my lunch when a little head appeared in front of me, cheeky little grin and hand held out. He was asking for some crackers that I had. He surprised me so much that I went into the eyebrows raised and "huh?" behavior. He then giggled, "Only kidding!" and scampered off. He was just so darn CUTE that before too long, I handed him a handful of the crackers he had been eying. He said, "Thank you!" with a grin, then promptly turned and shared with his new-found friend.
Now THAT'S the kind of sharing I don't mind!
I came home from rehearsal (and a long day of homework) to find my desktop computer in pieces.
Hubby had purchased parts to upgrade his computer, then used his old parts to upgrade mine.
At least, that was the theory. But we all know how theories work, right?
The upgrade didn't go so smoothly. And now my desktop is down. Yes, I still have the laptop, but because I didn't know my desktop would taken apart TODAY, I didn't put my school work on my flash drive.
Okay, so the problem is becoming clearer.
(sigh...) I have a paper due on Sunday, a paper that I've been stressing over because they want me to declare my major. That would be simple if I knew what the blazes I wanted to DO. Add that to the fact that my desktop with this paper is now inaccessible, and we have one wigged out Heidi.
Yeah. Don't Panic.
I just read this article and some of it really hit home.
I've never been good at this game.
I honestly don't understand it.
Even as a kid, I didn't want what everyone else had. I had more fun seeing their joy and sharing what they had than wishing I had that thing.
Now that I'm an adult, I STILL don't get it.
I have a little house. Yeah, it's 1200 square feet and houses 3 people. Sometimes it feels like we step on each other, but we still have enough space to go into separate rooms to get away from the others. MUCH better than the 2 bedroom 700 square foot duplexes we've lived in. Also, it only takes us MAYBE an hour to get the house cleaned up and company ready. Seriously. An hour, 90 minutes tops.
I have a little car. I LOVE my little car. I can zip in and out of traffic, I don't have to do an 18 point turn in the parking lot, I can park nearly ANYWHERE, it only takes (currently) $16 to fill the tank, I get great gas mileage and... IT'S PAID OFF. No car payment! WOO HOO!
We don't have a LOT of stuff. Which is probably why the housecleaning goes pretty quickly. Though I've noticed a bit of clutter starting to edge it's way into my home. I will need to peel a layer or two off before it bugs me too much.
I've tried to live simply... and for the most part, it's worked for me. It got tough when I had a wee little one- crib, stroller, car seat, high chair, so on and so forth. But lately even Kels has slimmed her belongings down. I think she's also figured out that having too much S.T.U.F.F. can be unhealthy.
I still don't understand why the Jones' feels as though they need all that S.T.U.F.F., though.
BTW, S.T.U.F.F. stands for Stuff That Undermines Family Fun. It's a FlyLady thing.
Your luck is about to change today -- and that could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how pleasantly your life has been going. But change is always good, even if it brings some clouds into your sunny day. If things take a turn for the worse, then just hang out. You can and will get through any challenges that arrive. And if things take a turn for the better, just enjoy it! The good things that you have done in your past are now going to be rewarded.
Uhhhmmm... maybe I should call in sick and just go back to bed.
Yeah, sounds good to me!
