Why is it that everyone wants to tell their own story, versus listening to yours or mine? Have you noticed? I’ll give you an example.

Yesterday I was casually talking to two people. One person would tell me something about their health situation, and then ask me questions about massage, trying to get information that might help make some improvements.

Each time I tried to answer, the other person would interject with a similar story about their own experiences and their own health problems. It was interesting to me how this person kept bringing the attention back to him- or herself.

I’m trying to be conscious of when I do this. Someone will tell me something, and then it’ll trigger a memory which I then want to share. Unfortunately, in the process, the person who told me their story didn’t get my full attention because I was half-thinking about how I was going to tell my own story as soon as they were finished.

With my long-time sweetheart, it’s come up many times. We’d argue, and in the end I’d become exasperated. But it would take all that arguing for me to notice that I didn’t really care if I "won" the argument, or if he agreed with me. What I wanted all along was the satisfaction of knowing that he heard and understood where I was coming from.

He and I have differing thoughts and opinions all the time, and we still get along. But sometimes he’ll say something that’s important to him, and then I’ll say something that’s meaningful to me, and neither will recognize what the other is saying.

How long does everyone want to spin our wheels until we collectively get it? I think I’m done. I’m ready for something better. How many more times can you watch it being played out on television as a reporter interviews two people with polar-opposite views? They argue, they try to convince, no one ever says, "Hey, you’ve got a point," or "Yes, I can see why you’d draw that conclusion."