She had just hit her pillow in bed and out plopped a word I’ve never heard her use…
Her – “Independent.”
Me – “Independent? Where did that come from?”
Her – “I don’t know. What does it mean?”
Me – “Well, there is dependent, independent and interdependent. Dependent is where you rely on others for everything. You follow what they tell you to do in life. You don’t make decisions for yourself.”
Her – “No, that’s not me.”
Me – “Independent is where you make your own decisions for your life. You want to make your own money. You think for yourself. You…”
Her – “That’s me.”
I then went on to give a description best I could of an interdependent person…
Me – “An interdependent person creates her own life but also realizes that she is not alone on her journey. There are others to be considered. She tries to make it work for herself and those around her. She finds that balance that honors herself and others.”
Her – “That’s a lot… eight things. Okay, that’s me. But which one is better?”
Me – “I don’t know if it’s whether one is better but what works best in life. I’d say interdependent people are the happiest.”
Her – “I’m happy, so I’m interdependent.”
Me – “Yes you are.”