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reflections

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I recently learned of a condition called “Paris Syndrome.”

The shock of coming to grips with a city, [Paris] that is indifferent to their presence and looks nothing like their imagination [that] launches tourists into a psychological tailspin.[note]Paris Syndrome: A First-Class Problem for a First-Class Vacation by Chelsea Fagan | https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10/paris-syndrome-a-first-class-problem-for-a-first-class-vacation/246743/[/note]

I think my friend Bevin introduced the idea of sympathy vs. feedback idea to me:

When someone complains to her about something, first she lets them get it all out

Then she asks (I’m paraphrasing), “Okay. What are you looking: sympathy or feedback?”

I once had a family friend named Andrew. He introduced me to Puff Daddy, Usher, and Triple Five Soul apparel. He also had a brilliant mind for medicine. Rutgers University literally created an award in chemistry, so they could give it to him.

While he was in medical school, I asked him how he did so well in his studies. His answer was simple:

When I was in middle school I had three key beliefs about my future:

1. I wouldn’t buy a house. Instead, I’d live in a RV. I’d drive around the United States and park on residential sidewalks and in Walmart parking lots. My cousins teased they’d let me park my RV in their four-car garages in the winter so I wouldn’t freeze.