I hate it when I struggle and struggle, finally acquire something nice to show for it, and no time at all passes before someone wants to borrow it. Never fails. If I say yes, either I don't get it back, or I get it back damaged. If I say no, I'm treated like a selfish child who doesn't want to share his toys. It's not that I'm greedy or materialistic, but dang, am I *never* allowed to have anything nice for myself?

At one time I was a resident in a year-long life skills program run by a homeless shelter. Most residents of the program were recovering from drug, alcohol, or mental health issues. (The rest had those issues, but were not recovering. They were only there for the three-hots-and-a-cot, and not trying to better themselves.) Any time I was seen wearing a particularly beautiful article of clothing, invariably someone would tell me, "Uh-uh, girl. You go upstairs, take off MY dress, and give it back to me. That is MINE." It was a joke, basically shelter speak for, "Hey, I like that dress." But after a while, hearing this every single time I had on something pretty, I started thinking, "Why doesn't anyone want ME to have anything nice?" My daughter, who works with street kids, tells me that the code on the street is, "Hey, we're all in the same boat, so if anybody acquires something of any value, it has to be shared among all of us. You can't keep it for just yourself." If you obtain money, they are entitled to a slice of it. If you have good clothes, they are entitled to borrow it. They are not obligated to return it in a timely manner, in the same condition you loaned it to them. Sometimes they are not obligated to return it at all, because you have more than they do, and everything has to be even. Oh, and when YOU want to borrow something, "Sorry, I'm in therapy working on the ability to say No, and I've got to practice it. So no."

And I guess it's that entitlement that really irks me. For the first four decades of my life I had nothing. Now, what I have, everyone wants to take from me, and I'm getting sick of it.