everybody says they love good rapport

everybody says they hate small talk and prefer to have deep conversations or be able to riff with someone or pick on someone or have inside jokes, right? Everybody says that. Because those things suggest trust and understanding and intimacy and that's like a basic social need.

It's like saying, 'oh I prefer food that tastes good and is my preference instead of food that is bad and I'm allergic to." 

But my rapport is better, okay? I remember details. You will not have to tell me the same story twice. I'll bring up relevant information if it comes up again. Also, if you share an interesting story I won't just automatically share a story of my own that it reminds me of. I'll ask questions. I'll use active listening. I'm not just waiting for my turn to speak. 

I'm an easy laugh. Some might say too easy. I don't care. Laughter is a beautiful thing. It's like salt or eggs. There's no limits. More is more is better.

What else? Bits? Jokes? Listen, I am a professional. I have built my livelihood on jokes and bits. Am I a comedian? No. But I did do stand-up in college and I was decent. When you work with kids and especially at a camp if you don't have jokes and bits you are dead in the water. If my jokes stop hitting I'm gonna end up on the streets and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Finally, I have a liberal arts degree. And that taught me how to make something out of nothing. Do you want to sound smart and interesting and cool? I will use textual evidence (aka things you said) and connect them to all sorts of ideas and movements and a bunch of other nonsense that I spent the first 22 years of my life learning about. 

You say, "Isn't it crazy how food reminds you of your childhood?"

I say, "Oh that's just like Marcel Proust eating the madeleine in In Search of Lost Time."

You think 'Wow I am so French and sophisticated and refined, no?"

This is all very pick-me, right now. But ha! Look at that. I'm self aware too!

I don't know. Originally I wanted to write about my strengths and things I think I'm good at and then it turned into this but oh well. 

emotional intelligence. I have worked in a therapeutic setting. just sayin