Suspect

Are you one of those wired to assume the best about someone? Do you make allowance for past trauma-the unhapppy childhood, the bad marriage, or the teacher who gave them a C in second grade? Do you have compassion on them because they seem so confused?

Are people constantly telling you how naive you are?

Or are you suspicious of someone's motives from the word go? Do you assume that they really are self-absorbed jerks until you find out they are much nicer than you could have dreamed of? Ever find yourself surprised?

I'm in the former category. I'm always making allowances for bad behavior-sometimes behavior that would have caused many others to say sayonara a long time ago.

This isn't neccesarily a good trait. A healthy amount of suspicion might not only cut short some friendships...it might cause others to last longer.

Instead, like my mother, I give WellsFargo robocallers or unquestioning George Bush supporters plenty of space to act like themselves-until that day when they cross the line. Then I'm so done.

I don't think we get to choose which character type we are. We can modify our behavior, but I don't think we can alter our basic personality.

What do you think?