place nice, share with others...simple concept, right?

i had an interesting text message conversation last night with a friend that raised some thoughts...he was playing DD for his girlfriend and her friends (unvoluntarily) and ended up getting into a fight with said girlfriend when she saw him complaining about the role in a text. granted, alcohol did not help in this case whatsoever, but it made me think about how i might act in a relationship. i'll be the first to admit that i'm not perfect, but the idea of exchanging harsh, hurtful words is unnerving to me and only creates bigger problems rather than solving the issue being disagreed upon. i typically try to make others' lives easier, even though that sometimes results in my life becoming a bit more strenuous.

i don't know the background story behind my friend's night, but i'd like to think that if i had been the gf, i would have atleast asked my guy to chauffeur my friends and i around for the night...more likely than not, i would have played DD for my friends while my bf enjoyed a night off for himself. but even so, best case scenario would dictate that i stay pretty sober to act as a go-between so that everyone have an enjoyable evening. i would hate to obligate a loved one to act as a babysitter for a bunch of drunken people.

while attending the career exploration class to take notes and help out a student last fall, i observed the kids take several personality and career-compatibility tests and unofficially concluded that i'm social, artistic, introverted, feeling, intuitive, etc. big surprise, right? those qualitites are what help me feel like teaching may be a good fit, and i hope they're also a good fit for making some special person very happy. a lot of relationships, whether romantic or platonic, seem based in common courtesy--a state of mind that is greatly lacking in today's world. it's a no-brainer: clean up your own mess, keep the bodily fluids and noises to the absolute minimum, ask to help the other person, accept help when needed, be honest and respectful and sincere, to laugh as much as possible...seems pretty simple, right? so why do people seem to be in such awful partnerships all the time? or is it as straightforward as them not wanting to be single? i can't imagine putting up with an under-par relationship just to say, "i'm attached" when i could be happier taking care of myself until someone great comes along. sometimes the workings of the world do not make sense to this girl, which is worrisome and frustrating in itself...