I stole a quarter from a church coffee basket to buy a mouse pin. I was maybe seven. I wanted it. My parents weren’t around, and I couldn’t wait. They’d have probably said no if I had asked. I’ve spent a lot of years being ashamed of that wanting. But the wanting was never the problem. Learning early that desire leads to rejection – that’s where the shame came from. I didn’t steal because I was bad. I stole because I already knew the answer was no.
