I'm baffled.
There is absolutely nothing extraordinary about me that would lead me to believe I'm the ideal person to counsel others. My interests are strange and varied, my job is boring as hell, my life is far more suburban than I'd like, and my marriage is good but not perfect. I've never done drugs, I've never been a smoker or a heavy drinker, I've never been through a major trauma. I can't think of any experience I've had that would qualify me to be in the role I often find myself in: that of listener and advice-giver-type.
My husband jokingly said it's because I'm welcoming and sweet. I'm offended...I purposefully try to NOT be sweet and girly, dammit! I've come to the conclusion that there's some sort of sign, an invisible tattoo on my forehead that screams "hey, hey you with the issue, this girl will listen to you and try to help!"
I don't mind taking on the role amongst my close friends, after all, I sort of purposely keep that circle small and intimate so it's not a burden. But why do VERY casual acquaintences and people I've just met find me so irresistable to unload all their strange relationship issues? I'm not really complaining, it's more that I'm just weirded out. I'm pretty damn standoffish with people when I meet them, actually. I make every effort to keep them at arms length, at least, becuase I've been burned way too many times thinking someone would be trustworthy. Now, unfortunately, I assume someone is NOT trustworthy until they've proven otherwise. Sad, I know, but it's the way I am now.
I find it ironic. I'm ever so far from normal, and on top of that I'm pretty damn boring. This is just weird weird weird.
Wow. Wait, no... Yeah I believe it. You find yourself the antithesis of all that people actually see in you. I believe it is the fact that you are so calm, so NON dramatic, that by nature alone, you are viewed as perfect. Hey I know what you're saying, but it seems that as you try to focus on yourself and your life, those outside your life can often interpret your life as the type of life they aim for. In retrospect, you do have the majority of what many people can't even figure out how to achieve. You are married, you have a nice home, a job, talents, hobbies, a general contentment where you do not invite the negative. So in other people's perspectives you have it all and thus wouldn't you know exactly how to advise on how to get there? Not that you want to, just an observation.
ReplyDeleteHmm. You have a point, except that I've ALWAYS been the counselor...long before I got to where I am now. :) And it's one of those odd life situations that has always been baffling to me.
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