Sorry, thank you.

Everyone has things they do that are weird, OCD, or just signature traits of them. My friends and family have made it clear to me that my "thing" is saying the words "sorry" and "thank you" way too much. Instead of saying sorry for things that really are my fault, I end up saying sorry for things that are completely out of my control, but I just say it out of sympathy. For example, my mom says she couldn't sleep last night... and I say sorry. My sister says she's out of milk... and I say sorry. I reach next to the person sitting next to me to pull out the writing surface... and I say sorry. When I used to play tennis, if the person I was hitting with missed the ball, I would say sorry. The same thing goes for thank you. It's not really that I say it for things I don't need to say it for, but I say thank you for the same thing multiple times. I think I just want people to feel good, to know I appreciate whatever they did. Nevertheless, I find my friends and family asking me, "what exactly are you sorry for?" When they ask me, I realize there really isn't anything to be sorry for. I'm just the type of person that feels bad too much.

Now my question is, is this really a problem? Are the little things we do taking away from our happiness, are they unnecessary in a bad way, or are they just things that we do that make us who we are? Obviously if someone has a habit of killing people, it isn't just something they do that makes them who they are. But things that people do like, eating tic tacs in even numbers, couting their steps, or another trait of mine - being obsessed with things being symmetrical. In the case of sorry and thank you, I've realized it is better to be over polite than not polite enough. Sure it may be unnecessary, and it may make me feel bad for no reason, but wouldn't you rather hear thank you multiple times than not at all? I think these little things people do are what makes them unique. So I say don't be ashamed of the things you do, don't feel weird or OCD, but be proud of every little part of who you are. It's better to be interesting and unique, and even "weird!" So, flaunt it.