The Lesser of the Evils?....by Lisa

This time we’re writing about our own bad habits and vices. I sought input from my highly trusted advisors who know me well (jive translation—my family and close friends). My daughter said, without hesitation, that I worry too much sometimes. Fair enough. She also tells me I drive with one hand sometimes, and that gives her the willies (she’s learning to drive, so I think that’s good).  And hey, I’m not the one who has dented the cars and backed into buildings (that was Kate’s dad, oops). And she says that a little more than often, I am tense. I was surprised to learn that she can sense it so well. Got any instant cures for that?

Another of my loved ones tells me I overanalyze things. Hey, I’m female! I look for the hidden meaning in things people say and don’t say. I thought that was an innate female trait. They say that one’s greatest strength can also be one’s greatest weakness. That is definitely the case with my analyzing interactions with people, and relationships. I call myself an amateur psychologist, and much of the time my read on people is correct. I also tend to “help others too much”. I’m not sure whether those who benefit from it would think it’s too much, but I do have a strong desire and need to be helpful. It’s my calling, and I’ve thought that since I was a kid. I have learned over time that I need to keep tabs on it, because sometimes I can get wrapped up in giving help that really isn’t needed or wanted.

I don’t smoke, am not addicted to alcohol or drugs, and I hate roller coasters. I’m not into high-risk behaviors. I do love iced tea and drink it multiple times a day, because a day without tea is like a day without sunshine. I have started the bad habit of drinking diet pop almost daily, and I wish I would kick that habit. I have taken to liking cupcakes an awful lot, because they are so pretty and delicious. I intend to exercise every day but I don’t do it on days when I’m not with my walking buddy (thanks Lynda for keeping me going). I don’t bite my nails or crack my knuckles. I’m told I talk too much—hey, women have to get like 25,000 words a day in. Ladies, unite! Talk to me! I’m sometimes too neat and tidy for the people around me. I do “kitchen work” before going to bed so that there are no dirty dishes in the sink. Overall, I just try too hard, try to please other people, to be “good enough”, and I usually think that somehow I fail. I’m much too hard on myself. That’s where I am right now and how I will end for today—I have to learn to stop beating myself up.