When I talk to a certain loved one,
it doesn’t matter
how ill I’m feeling,
she’s feeling worse.
I believe she thinks
telling me this
will make me feel better
about my situation.
It doesn’t.
I feel like she isn’t sympathetic,
isn’t listening,
isn’t being helpful.
Another friend,
however, might tell me
she’s felt like that
in the past
and what worked for her
cure-wise.
She hears my problem,
sympathizes with it
and then offers a solution.
When someone comes to you
with a problem,
don’t one-up it with problems of your own.
Offer some solutions.