things I have learnt this summer

We are never too old to learn new things, or realise old things that now seem new. My biggest lesson this summer is about how we over and under estimate people we think we know.

I am at a festival and (niaively on my part) begin to wigg out totally. there is this big amorphous blob of bodies and I spy one person I know (and his friends). i explain as best I can my situation - wigging out needing faces I know around - and the person I know ( a one time intimate friend) fecks off and I wig out further. It was not nice.

I am at work and the day is horriffic, traffic jams, people not showing up for meetings, money wasted, hours on the road, hot hot heat and crap music on the radio (have no cd player). Work wigg out really! The person at the last meeting was more concerned about particular contractual issues in my personal life than anything else and unasked gave some very solid good advice. When I asked her why she said " because I like you and I can".

Finally a person I have been friends with for a long, long time invited me to a party. When I arrived I was the first person there I asked how the important job went. "oh it was awful, I had to carry heavy things through the mud, my room had a leak in it and horrid things happenned all the time" Later another friend arrived and asked the same question "it was great, we were in this huge room with a beautiful mural and even thou it rained I had my wellies and there were loads of people helping to lift things and carry stuff".

How much do we over and underestimate people we think we know ?