Cognition

My shrink says I might be “too cognitive” for my own good.

“You’re in your head so much, and when people share things with you, your response is to think about the situation and then suggest a solution,” he said.

“Your point?”

“Only that sometimes people might expect a more emotional, more visceral reaction from you and that your response is usually intellectual.”

“Or maybe they’re too visceral. Ever think of that? Huh? Huh?”

We talked about the fact that life was pretty threatening to me from an early age, and that keeping my wits about me seemed like the most sensible approach. “I can’t help it,” I said, shrugging. “I’m one of those people who’s actually better in an emergency, you know?”

So we talk about that for a while. I try to be witty, but I’m too worn out from all this surgery-related stuff. I mention that one of my kids is always saying I’m projecting, and he laughs.

“Everybody’s projecting. All the time, everything we think we know,” he says. “That’s why it’s easier to give other people a break and think maybe you simply misunderstood.”