Do I want to receive their story?

I spend a lot of time thinking about others. Let's call it free rent. They aren't paying to occupy my grey matter and yet I don't seem to care.

Most of my time working through past experiences with other people require me to think about their story. I will try to pin down what happened, what emotions were there, and what it says about me. At the same time, I would rather assume those things for someone else than actually ask them what they think.

Because I'm more interested in my assumptions (how else can I ensure being right and maintaining my defensive posture) I have to create a straw man to knock down.

The stories we create for others may be true at some point, but they probably aren't true once we can make an accurate picture.

To be clear, Are you trying to pin down a person that doesn't exist anymore? Or trying to better understand the person right in front of you?

Do you want to hear their story? Do you want to hear mine? I may have been that once. I may have made those mistakes. I may have been the very person you are angry at once.

But now? Well, maybe you should ask. I'll tell you a story. I'd love to hear yours.

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