MYOB!

I absolutely hate when other people put you on the spot with a personal question. The situation is even more uncomfortable if there are more people present when the offensive question is asked. Perhaps my sense of boundaries is higher than "normal" but I prefer not to discuss certain things with other people. I just don't like to "go there." I also like to maintain a certain distance from colleagues/co-workers...that seems sensible and professional to me...but there have been a few people who try to break down my wall and clamber over and I'm just not interested in sharing details about my life with them. I certainly do not go through each day in a state of aloofness acting haughty towards anybody I encounter, I just think there is a difference between being friendly and being open. For the record, people I categorize as friends in the truest sense have crossed this imaginary line as well. I've always heard the saying "you shouldn't discuss politics or religion in mixed company" but I don't really mind either of those topics, as long as somebody else brings it up first. I relish a healthy debate. I DON'T relish having (what I perceive as) my privacy invaded. When people ask certain things I consider off-limits, they are revealing their motivation and character, and it ain't pretty. I usually respond by bouncing it back and saying "why do you ask?" or "I would rather not say" but occasionally it will catch me so off-guard I might stammer out the (formerly secret) answer. Either way I'll hate myself for it, yet I'll resent it even more that the person asked it to begin with!