It is the middle of the holiday season and it seems as if our hearts are more open to pleas of mercy and understanding.

Image by Wcizmowski

On my Facebook account, it seems as if everyone has a tale that makes you want to be understanding whether the issue is bullying, cancer awareness or calling this holiday ‘Christmas’ as opposed to ‘holiday.’

But then it creeps in. The guilt line.

“I bet most of you will not repeat this or put it in your status.”

If you do not you are less of a Christian, less of a person, a failure of a human being. You have no heart, no spirit, no soul.

Or you are like me. You give the flying finger to the guilt inducing note by deleting it, ignoring it or, on one of your not-so-good days, write a comment saying how lousy it is to give these guilt trips.

After all, do we not have enough guilt about everything we are not doing for the holidays, for our kids, for our community? Have you given enough this season, volunteered enough, made your kids happy enough while working around the dysfunction that surrounds you?

Here is someone you know a little or a lot trying to guilt you into agreeing with their point of view. Suddenly, you are a bad person for not agreeing and you did not even get to  hit the ‘like’ button yet. Chances are you might agree with them. But that line stands in the way of complete agreement.

Here is what I am telling you to do.

Feel guilt free as you do not hit ‘like’ or pass on the email.

Let it go un-noticed.

Kids have been dodging mothers’ guilt trips for years, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. Why not take a page out of that book?

Let this be your guilt free moment of not allowing someone else’s need to be insufferable right  earnest and make you ‘less than’ because you are not in the 10% who are going to re-post their statement or forward their worthwhile-but-guilt-inducing message.

They want the drama, the top of the mountain feel of being right, and the knowledge that they can get other people to follow them.

Image from klondikebar.com

If you still feel the need to re-post, I understand. But leave the guilt at the curb because if you direct it to me with that line about how most people are not going to put this on their status, you can bet I am  in that 90%.

Even if it means giving up a Klondike bar.