Sunday I did quite a nice thing: I rumbaed (rumbad? rumba'd?) with Carla even though it was really annoying. She barged into my room late at night and said, "I came over because I need to practice my dancing for class tomorrow. You don't have to do anything, just stand here and be my reference point." I was going to say "No," because I dislike rumbaing but then I remembered how nice I am trying to be and reconsidered. I left my pressing urgent matters at my computer and stood up while she counted her footsteps and did an unexciting dance around me for some time.
For almost any other friend, I would definitely count this as a simple act of avoiding confrontation, but because Carla and I are so close she is more like a sister than a friend, and by that I mean I don't take pains to conceal my true feelings when she vexes me (which really doesn't happen very often, but sometimes you know. It happened several times on Saturday and I was probably rude and I felt bad). But THIS was a conscious vote for kindness! I did it out of actual loving my neighbor. I was so congenial. I hope that helped her practice even though I disenjoyed it. After that was over, she talked to me about how much she hated her Sunday School class on marriage and it was one of the more fulfilling social interactions I had all week; then she slept over in my bed with me and we had a good time. She speaks Italian in her sleep.
r u kidding?!? that is so a nice thing!! i don't think i would dance with someone happily if they were my dead gramma. and then you even got a blessing out of the deal. i guess that's how it works a lot. but seriously, i think people who are the closest to you are sometimes the hardest to be extra nice to, because it just doesn't seem important. I would like to quote a love song: "you always hurt, the ones you love, the onessss you shouldn't hurt at all!" what i'm trying to say is that I agree, it is often it's easier to be "nice" to a complete stranger rather than someone you love.
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