Undersharing

“Our stories are not meant for everyone. Hearing them is a privilege, and we should always ask ourselves this before we share: ‘Who has earned the right to hear my story?’ Even if we have just one or two people in our lives who can sit with us and hold space for our stories, and love us for our strengths and struggles, we are incredibly lucky.” ~Brené Brown

There are times when I face challenges that I’m not comfortable sharing with many others. As tempting as it can be to seek out other opinions, or even emotional comfort, I first need to get a handle on those issues myself.

Back in the day when I was still using Facebook, I was often shocked at the personal information people were willing to share with virtual strangers. This might surprise some folks who know I share parts of my own life in my newspaper columns — yet I’ve always been very careful to keep some important stories to myself. As Dr. Brene Brown reminds us, it’s wise to confide carefully. Even in a social media culture that encourages oversharing, you’ll never regret saving your precious personal material for a select audience. ~CL

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