From a recent conversation with a friend:
Friend: Do you think I’m a selfish person?
Me: Not at all. In fact, I find you to be compassionate, supportive, generous, and a good listener. Why?
Friend: Well…It occurred to me the other day that if I were selfish, I’d never know, would I? Because I’d be focused on myself, and therefore wouldn’t be able to see that I wasn’t focused on anyone else.
Me: But it wouldn’t even cross your mind to worry about being selfish if you were selfish, so the very fact that it concerns you is a good indicator that you’re not.
Friend: But if I’m worried about it, couldn’t that mean that I suspect that I am selfish, deep down? Or that I wish I could be? Or that maybe I truly am, and all that you see is really a big façade?
Me: Okay, let’s try this. Let’s assume that you are really one selfish S.O.B.
Friend: Do you really think that?
Me: No! Don’t be silly. But for the purposes of this conversation, let’s say that you are. What would that mean?
Friend: Well, I’d be a contemptible human being. I would hurt people. I couldn’t be trusted. Anyone with any common sense wouldn’t like me.
Me: Well, there you go. You are trusted. You are liked. In fact, you are loved. Do me a favor. Go get yourself a pint of ice cream and a really good book. Lie in your hammock and forgive yourself for not being Mother Teresa or Gandhi, but remember your frequent acts of kindness.
After sending my friend off to do her homework, so to speak, I thought about the conversation. “Anyone with any common sense wouldn’t like me.”
Do I have common sense? If I didn’t have common sense, how would I know?
Oh, my head hurts…
The View from a Drawbridge 
I may have to think about this for a week or two… but I am way to busy being fabulous ME!
Yay, you! 🙂
I know, right?