What qualities you value in other people

Work ethic. Passion for whatever you do. Honesty.

I don’t care if you’re an attorney on Wall Street or a stay-at-home mom, be good at it. If you’re a lawyer, don’t be condescending. Be truthful and direct. If you’re a homemaker, have your kids involved with lessons or extra curricular programs at school. Take them to the library. Don’t just lounge around drinking by your pool all day and let the kids figure out their own meals. Be proud of what you do.

Someone told me long ago: it costs nothing to be on time and have a good attitude. And in all likelihood, you’ll improve at whatever you keep after. If you can’t swim, take lessons. You may never compete in the Olympics, but at least you won’t drown. If you want to paint, paint. There are no contests, unless you enter one. If you hate it, throw it out and start again. Nobody even has to know. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t tell anyone. People ruin everything.

A virtue and something I value is honesty. If you can’t be honest with yourself, how can you say you’re honest with others? What is it you’re so ashamed of, anyway? If you can’t help but embellish all your stories to make them seem more interesting, just stop. See if anybody even notices. Most people will probably be relieved you quit lying to them like they were gullible. I have a friend that I always had a good time with, we had plenty in common, but it was like she couldn’t help herself. She always had to make up some story and it was never remotely believable. It didn’t help that she’d often contradict whatever lie she’d told in just a few minutes with a different story about how well she slept the night before (when supposedly she’d been shooting coyotes and her dogs had been chasing some rando walking down the road). It’s unfortunate, we always had a lot of fun. But if she’ll lie about something stupid like that, what else would she lie about?
Everything, I came to find out later.
“She’s no friend of yours,” was something I once had repeated to me.
Nice. I had my suspicions.
I think she picks whoever has the most drama following them that way she’s always got something to tell other people, to keep them coming around and make her feel popular. Like gossip is a form of currency.
Anyway, it’s a shame. I sometimes miss her.