How are you? Do you usually answer with “Fine”?
Does that exchange bother you? It does me. Usually when people ask me how I am doing I actually answer. Honestly. If I’m tired I’ll say so. Worried? Yeah, I’ll tell you. Don’t ask if you don’t want to know the answer.
So a little while ago a friend of August’s was over and his mother came by to pick him up. As she stepped into the house she remarked how much she liked our purple entry rug. I then told her it was a bath mat which we are using because we have an old cat peeing in front of the door and needed a rug with the rubber underneath to protect the hardwoods.
Did I need to get into all that detail? No. Could I have just said “Thanks” and left it at that? Yeah. But I was compelled to tell her why it was there.
Flaw? Character strength? You tell me.