serasempre does ask great questions, and you did them justice.

Empathy ties in with another trait of mine: indecision. I can see all sides of an argument or a problem, weigh each of their merits, again and again, a circular, neverending process that leads most often to frustration rather than to a decision. I've also gotten involved with a few people who were all too glad to let me sort out their lives, and surrendered all decisions, responsibilities to me. Backing out of those was sticky. And in more than one case, unpleasant.

Dear me, that is me. That is so me, I'm wondering if it's in any way an only-child phenomena?

I've come to realize that in many areas of my life I have no willpower, no control. It's either half a cake or none, take in the street child or donate to the shelter and walk away, rescue the feral three-legged cat or let it die. I would like to be able to walk a path on middle ground. But it doesn't look likely. My only control is abstention.

Oh my. Yes. Yes. Yes.

England. No, Scotland. or Ireland. Maybe Wales or Cornwall. In my head, at least. Rocky, craggy, foggy, damp, brown and green and icy shallow running water. I will get there one day, even though I'm well aware, intellectually, that it's damp, foggy, rough terrain for walking, scarce plumbing and central heating, and not much in the way of local cinemas or many of the other things USians take for granted. And I will love it. I may not want to live there indefinitely, but I will love walking the land and breathing the fog or the mist or the rain, hearing the water tumbling over rocks and the silence I imagine to be still a part of those places, which actually is an absence of man-made, industrial, residential noise.

I would be frightened by our similarities, if I weren't feeling vain and pleased by them. I see you describe yourself in harsh terms so often, and I always want to argue with you, about you, because at least the internet you, is one of the most thoughtful, fair-minded, accepting people I've 'net-met. So I'm quite pleased to find you speak for me on a few things here.

This interview was a great read, and really gave me an opportunity to know you better. Thank you.