I try to tune into signs around me that there are things to which I need to pay attention. Lately I have noticed that I need to listen to and create stories.

Several years ago my sister took a series of personal growth courses. She invited me to attend one of their open house evenings and the two things that struck me most were when people shared their stories and the lesson that the problem with assumptions about why people behave the way they do or how they react to us is that often we don't know the other person's story. We tend to fill in the blanks based on our own stories.