It's Easy To Like The Ones Who Bring Out The Best In Us

I had my improv class today, and it's funny how just by staring into someone else's eyes while you and that other person take turns making up a story — by listening intently and building on what the other says — you can suddenly experience a strong liking for that person, and then it's easier to remember their name.

In my class we're doing all kinds of exercises that are meant to get us to respond quickly, without first judging ourselves or worrying that our responses won't sound clever. Which doesn't prevent me from getting nervous sometimes. Wouldn't it be easier to remain in the background, smirking cleverly to myself to disguise the fact that I'm really quite dull?

Today those feelings didn't bother me too much, but I think they were bothering my partner. I guess he can't hear himself and has no idea how clever he is. Or maybe he's getting an idea of it by listening to me build on his ideas, just as he builds on mine, so what we're really hearing is our ideas becoming stories we tell for each other as much as to each other.