Day 307
3/19/23
Sharing is sometimes very hard. Just ask these two! Gus chooses a toy, Sammy takes it. Gus chooses toy number two and Sammy only has eyes for that toy. They play this game all day!
Now dogs CAN share a toy, but it typically involves a tug-of-war for final ownership of the desired object! With our two youngest, Sam almost always wins, but Gus is starting to stand his ground! Just the other day, he found himself with "The Bone of the Hour" and stood there for a moment. Realizing he actually HAD the bone, he turned and ran under the dining room table. From there, he could keep brother Sam on the opposite end of the bone by strategically turning this way and that. I finally had to intercede due to the head banging on the under-side of the table...and yes, Sam ended up with the bone!
Sharing can be very hard for most people as well. As I see it, there are about five kinds of sharing. Here they are in reverse order of importance in my mind:
5. Sharing "things"
4. Sharing food
3. Sharing ideas
2. Sharing yourself
1. Sharing love
Starting with #5, the act of sharing "things" should be quite painless. Clothes that don't fit, books you have read, recipes and so much more can be easy for most. When it comes to "things" that really mean something to the owner, it can be a bit more challenging and a virtual tug-of-war can result. Jewelry, your home, your car, just to name a few, take a bit more soul-searching before the release! At any rate, they are just "things," after all, and should be the easiest to part with.
#4 looks like the easiest of all, but there are two exceptions. On the lighter side, sharing your favorite dessert can be a trial! On the heavier side, I have never been hungry and without anywhere to turn for food. It is hard to imagine sharing food when you are hungry, but I know most would share with the ones they held dearest.
#3 Idea sharing can be fun and fruitful! When I taught, there was a great deal of this type of sharing and the students would be the recipients of bigger and better ideas. We would often brain-storm and arrive at a wonderful plan nobody could have dreamed up on their own. The difficulty arises when ideas are monetized. If an individual comes up with a money-making idea, they usually hold their cards close to their chest for fear of someone stealing that idea before they can patent it successfully.
#2 Continuing up the ladder of importance, giving of oneself can be challenging. Sharing your time, expertise and energy in this way is often draining to the body and soul. However, what one gives usually returns in another form that fills the heart of the giver. You may give of yourself, but you never run on empty. The joy, comfort, appreciation and relief you witness on the face of those in need, fills the space your empathy left open.
#1 Sharing love should be the easiest of all giving. To say that loving can be challenging might be an understatement. When you love someone (dogs included), you open your heart up to hurt, loss, frustration and betrayal. Luckily, for the vast majority, it is worth the risk. Even though you face some pain when you share love, the joy and warmth that is returned more than makes up for the risk!
So, if I took my favorite mug, filled it with hot chocolate, shared a great idea with Mac, sat and held his hand while he responded AND loved him the entire time, that would be the penultimate of sharing! I think I will do that right now!
