ME...

I don't have a lot to say tonight. This is just something that I was thinking about today while sitting outside keeping an eye on the kids... I have a really big problem with being self centered. Not in an I have to have everything my way all the time. But in an even when I have the best of intentions I have a really hard time trying to say what I want without making it about me, way.
My opinion.
My insight.
My experience.
On and on it seems to go.

I was once, like LONG time ago, told that I spend too much time talking about other people. I wasn't speaking unkind words but for whatever reason that stuck with me. Then, when I was in college, I was a Resident Assistant and part of that was training on how to speak with people during confrontation. I suppose this would have been a tad helpful if confrontation had been something that I had trouble with. I didn't. The training involved making sure that you use lots of "I" statements. I do understand the need for that and actually have used it. However, I had far more luck with my peers by taking the "I hate having to write you up for this but, dude, we both know the rules and we both know that I'm just doing my job..." No harm, no foul, no hard feelings. I'm finding that I don't think that works all too well when it comes down to the empathy, sympathy, commiserating thing. I don't think it works well during the sit and chit chat afternoon where I constantly feel like I'm trying to dominate a conversation because of I statements. I don't know.

I guess it seems like a really weird place to be thinking about this right now. I guess the reason I'm doing it is because I have received so much love and support through this whole thing and I really just want to make sure that I'm always able to provide my friends the same type of support that they've shown me. I'm fully aware that there is so much that isn't about me. I'm not trying to make some one else's situation about me. I don't know what I always feel like I do that.

I need to work on that because I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable.

*No one has brought this fault to my attention it just seems like a daily struggle that I should address*