When Everyone Keeps Taking Slices of Your Cake
The Day Your Cake Stops Feeling Like a Celebration There’s a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from realizing your cake is always being cut — even when it’s not your birthday. You didn’t offer slices. You didn’t invite everyone. You didn’t say, “Help yourself.” Yet plates keep appearing. Forks keep clinking. Hands keep reaching. And the moment you react, that becomes the issue. Not the endless slicing. Not the ignored signals. The reaction. This isn’t about generosity. It’s about who feels entitled to the cake. Growing Up Learning to Share Before You’re Asked Some people don’t grow up learning how to protect their cake. They grow up learning how to share automatically. They learn early: don’t say no don’t make it awkward don’t ruin the mood So they cut the cake themselves. Even when they’re hungry. Even when the cake is small. Even when no one asked nicely. Sharing becomes muscle memory. Not a choice — a reflex. When Sharing Turns Into Expectation At first, people appreciate it. “...