I consider myself to be a very open and sharing kind of person. I'm very GIVING. That being said, I don't like sharing my food for no reason. Especially involuntarily. I recall a dark, dark period of my life called 1999-2001 when I lived with roommates. My roommate Kate would eat my food...and we weren't those kinds of roommates. We each had our own food. Or at least I did. I routinely came home to a bag of cheese that was open, drying out in front of my eyes, or a half eaten row of Fig Newtons. Not cool. [Those weren't even the FAKE Fig Newtons that I normally bought due to my pitiful editor salary; these were REAL, brand NAME Newtons!] I did the "mature" thing--despite the immaturity in her very action of stealing my food--and talked to her. She did worse than deny it; she blamed her nieces who were 4 and 7. Finally, I resorted to putting notes inside the package of Newtons and any other appealing foods that said "Kate, please stop eating my food."
What does that long-ago incident have to do with now? Well, last week, I brought in a full jar of Peanut Butter because I had been bringing individual servings daily for my breakfast. On the same day, a colleague asked if I had some and if she could have some. What do you say in this situation? No--get your own? So, I said yes. However, I have seen said peanut butter dwindle over the past week. To be clear, that was a one occasion yes. I can't say WHO it is, but it's clearly not me eating all of it. I eat 1 tablespoon per day, maybe 2. There are at LEAST 15, 2 Tablespoon servings per jar. At home, a jar lasts me about a month. So, how is it, that so much is gone now?
I guess I'm just amazed at different people's perceptions of communal property and what they are entitled to. This isn't the first time I've encountered "sharing" issues at work, and I know it won't be the last. I sometimes find myself questioning "Since when is it my job to supply people with what they need or want?" and "Why is it that certain people can be abnormally buddy buddy with me when they need something?" But, it also makes me question why stuff like this is such a big deal for me. Maybe it's being the first child--an older sister who when she "shared" her books with her brother, got them back with crayon drawings and pages missing in them. Maybe it's growing up in a working class family with parents who grew up poorer than many (and a mom who had 12 siblings--frankly, if anyone's got to be possessive about food, it's someone from a big family!). Anyway, I try "Not to Sweat the Small Stuff," but it takes major patience that, frankly, I'm not all that capable of! Anyway, when I was eating "dinner" at the office at 8 and took a tablespoon out, this made me cranky. What bothers all of you? Make me feel better about myself!
