I was going to write about libraries and architecture (maybe tomorrow?), but at about 11PM, I got an AIM message from a friend. Short version is, for the second time in two weeks, I’ve found myself as a consultant on drama. This isn't common for me; pretty much the only drama I talk over is the long-term, had-an-attack-of-the-blehs kind.
So no real humor today, just two pieces of advice. They’re simple, but they aren’t easy to execute on or remember to do — it’s tempting to walk away instead of just stepping back.
1) Nine times out of ten, all that needs to happen is for the yelling to stop and the explanations to come out. Last year I got in a stare-down because I thought that a friend should have to have his room cleaned to show to prospective renters, and he thought that he didn’t because we hadn’t shown off the room the last time. Come up with some way to cue everyone to back off and reassess, see things from the other person’s point of view. Our house used the phrase “green sandals”.
2) Open up to people. A degree of depression seems to be pretty normal, especially for 22-year-old, unemployed liberal arts post-grads, but when you’re ready to talk to someone about it, talk to them. If you don’t have a best friend, you’ve got parents; if you don’t have parents you trust, you have a journal; if you don’t have a journal, there are always strippers.
//Seriously though, you can have great conversations with anyone if you remember where their eyes are. I talked with a GnR and Rage Against the Machine fan for about an hour in Vegas one time. The point isn’t that you should tell strippers your life story, but that people are chill and deserve more credit for being so.
No comments:
Post a Comment