It has been good for me to start thinking about not thinking about the selfishness of those around me so much (did that make sense?). The best way to do that, I've decided is to think more about the unselfishness of those around me.
I realized, yesterday, that my roomate is a very unselfish person. Several times, now, I have come home semi-late at night to find her watching her show that she records and watches faithfully once a week. Now, sometimes I am in talkative mood late at night. She, on the other hand, is not a super talkative person. So last night, just like many other nights, I sat down and started chatting with her. Anybody else probably would have kept watching and tried to give me the hint that they were *trying* to watch an important show. She, on the other hand, turned her direct attention to me and turned off the show...not in an exhasperated way, or in any way that would give me the idea that I had interrupted anything important to her. She listened very generously to me and made comments, encouragement and even laughed where appropriate.
After it was well past her normal bedtime (and thus past a reasonable time for her to finish her show) I finally got up and went to bed. As I got ready for bed, I realized how many times she has done this for me...nary a complaint!
Funny thing is: instead of making me less selfish, it instead makes me appear *more* selfish as I hog my roomate's special time she set aside for her show. :(
3 comments:
let me try that again.
Why do you always have to turn everything back on yourself? :) You could just enjoy your roommate's unselfishness without taking it to mean something bad about you. Because I don't think it does mean you are selfish. I believe that if she didn't want to talk to you, she would let you know. I also believe that you are also being unselfish by talking to her. People need and want friends. I'll bet she is glad you talk to her. So just enjoy it. :)
I agree with Bog. It is an incredible feeling to know that someone trusts you enough to confide in you. So your roommate, I would imagine, must have feelings of trust and confidence from you. And you are being unselfish in presenting yourself to her, completely as you are. False people seem very selfish to me because they are unwilling to show who they really are.
Post a Comment