“Share your toys.” We have all heard that, or something like that, from the time we were kids. But what constitutes too little sharing, too much sharing, or just the right amount of sharing?

Today my wife and I were at the lake near our house, spending the afternoon with our grandson, Evan, now almost 4 years old. We brought a bag of old homemade bread for Evan to use to feed the ducks. Several children came up to see what Evan was doing and why so many ducks were swimming near him and quacking. As each kid approached Evan, I felt the “need” for Evan to share some of his bread with the kid. Most of the time, I took a small piece of Evan’s bread and offered it to the child near us. “Would you like to feed the ducks?” Once or twice, Evan, on his own, broke off a piece of his bread and offered it to the child near him.

But what is the “right” amount of sharing?

Give NONE of your bread to kids who approach you

It’s really a decision NOT to share. After all, the bread is really yours, not theirs. And their mom could have gotten them some bread for the ducks — but she didn’t.

Give ALL of your bread to the kids who approach you

It’s really a decision NOT to share, since “to share” implies you would give some bread to the ducks also. A psychologist might be interested in these cases.

Give SOME of your bread to the kids who approach you

Sharing seems to make others feel good. And it can make you feel good to see others happy. So let’s look at a few of the possible arrangements of sharing your bread. (1) You give just a little bread to each kid, (2) You give just a little bread to a few of the kids who come by, (3) You give a little bread to some of the kids, and a lot more bread to other kids, (4) You give a sizeable amount of bread to each kid, (5) You give a sizeable amount of bread to a few of the kids who come by.

In case No. 4, as well as in other cases, it could turn out that you gave away far more bread (to other kids), than you yourself had to give to the ducks. And, let’s say that was the case. And then,

(A) Some people might see that as “ridiculous” since it appears you have “cheated yourself.”

(B) Others might see it as the most wonderful thing you could possibly do.

(C) Still others might not even have an opinion.

My thoughts: If you are a (B) person, you walk humbly with God. If you are an A person, you need to get in closer touch with God. If you are a (C) person, I recommend you experiment with giving away some of your “bread” and soaking up the vibes.

A whole other area not explored here is: What if the “kids” are those who have NOT approached you, but you feel their presence, nevertheless. Peace!

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com