Enlightenment of the Day

I chatted tonight with a friend from one of my old jobs. He calls every now and again to see how things are going with the new job, and to gossip about the people from the old job! He, like most people I know, is aware of my dumb diagnosis.

What I find interesting is how many of my friends will inquire about how things are going, but when I tell them they don't seem to be listening. I'll get a pat response like "well, we all do what we can," or "hang in there, it'll get better," or "it'll be fine." Maybe they do listen but they don't know what to say, perhaps they don't understand that it likely won't get better; that it isn't fine. I don't fault them for not knowing what to say or for their lack of understanding but these vague and inattentive responses leave me feeling sort of frustrated. I mostly feel like they ask to be polite but aren't particularly interested in the answer. That's okay, too, but I wish they just wouldn't ask. It's like being blown off...if that makes any sense.

It makes me wonder how many times I've been on the other end of a conversation and have behaved similarly. It shames me to think I might have unintentionally hurt anyone's feelings with a casual attitude or inability to say the right thing. Perhaps I'm being given an opportunity to improve in that regard.