Courtesy Court

I was raised in a family where it was considered a mortal sin to eat/drink the last of anything. One never ate the last cookie, or drank the last drop of milk or polished off the ice cream without first seeking approval from someone else in the house. As soon as someone absolved you of the crime of selfishness, you were free to finish it off. Otherwise, you left it there. I can't even imagine how many items spoiled in our refrigerator simply because we were all trying to be overly polite.

This courses through my veins even today. I still get a tad bit offended when I find something missing out of the cabinet without my knowledge, or if I've not acquiesced to its consumption. Obviously, I would never object if I was asked; but my upbringing still seeks to adjudicate the perishables in the court of courtesy. On the flip side, I always ask Tim if I can have the last of something--even if I bought it. It just seems polite. God forbid his craving for the last yogurt exceed that of mine. How could I BE so selfish??

Obviously, Tim has become attuned to this rather absurd habit of mine. This morning I found the following note scrawled on the bag of bagels in which only one plain bagel was left. Tim is clearly an enabler.