Day 4 - 111 -- Knowing Oneself

A few things of late have led to disappointment -- in others but mainly in myself. I've had experiences many times in life where things end up being very different than I'd first envisioned. Misplaced trust has been at the core of many of these things through the years. Each time I've felt the need to alter my approach, yet I find I am generally a trusting individual -- and I dislike losing trust in me or others. Lying to myself creates layer of difficulties <smile>.

How can we present ourselves in a positive light without being overly self-indulgent? How can we clearly understand the needs and wants of others? Can we actually speak with and listen to others without always seeking the story behind the story? Will we ever be fully 'us' when communicating? Many answers exist for these questions and they are all likely to be partly true. Overlapping truths do exist. Each of us can portray several different personas depending on how we feel at a particular minute and what is driving the messages we are communicating. I'm not sure we can ever fully understand ourselves, so how can we ever understand others? <smile> I still believe it is worth trying, though.

The song chosen to go along with these meanderings deals with a different form of interpersonal communication but the sentiments are similar. The song was written by a multi-Grammy and Oscar winner. The lyrics were written by a long-time partner of the composer. The piece was developed for a movie from 1968 and this pairing appeared in a more recent movie in 1999. Enjoy!

I'll Never Fall in Love Again -- Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach