Thank You for Sharing

“Thank you for sharing” is a clichéd phrase I never expected to use, or indeed have used toward me!

However, it is often bandied at the end of these columns by the select few who like my work, so I can’t be too churlish about it.

Why write about it now?

Well, I’ve been offered the job of co-moderating the MS News Today Forums on this site. I’ll be joining fellow columnist Ed Tobias (“The MS Wire”), who’s been doing sterling work there for ages.

All I have to do now is work out the information technology gubbins of how to use it, and I’ll make a start. To be honest, I already feel defeated. I’ve been given training, but my brain blurs when it comes to technology. It has nothing to do with MS, but everything to do with me. I’ll happily beaver away at a joke, but I have absolutely no capacity to place a log to halt the river!

So where does “Thank you for sharing” come from? I’ve always thought it was something that was said at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. It’s regularly trotted out by TV writers every time they deal with these forms of therapy.

Strangely, there seems to be an element of truth in this.

I’ve read that the saying derives from “The Bob Newhart Show,” in which Bob played a psychologist. This phrase was one of his perfect dry asides. This makes me very happy, as Bob Newhart is a comedy hero. I discovered that comedy records could be borrowed from the local library when I was a kid, and “The Driving Instructor” was one track I tried cold. It is, of course, hilarious.

I didn’t find out until a few days ago, while listening to an iTunes podcast, that Newhart emerged fully formyoutube.com/watched into the world of comedy. He’d written these mordant monologues with no stage history. If you have no idea who Bob Newhart is, he played Arthur Jeffries in the television show “The Big Bang Theory” and ended up as Sheldon’s own private Obi-Wan Kenobi.

So, I need to finish this and get on with my new job. As long as I can work out how to link this column to the forum, I guess this counts as a posting!

I promise to say “Thank you for sharing” to the first person who replies to anything I put up there.

It would have really hurt me in the past, but now at least I know I’m also honoring one of the comedy gods.

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Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.