I’ve never been crazy about life on life’s terms because I often have agendas. One of these has often been to please people.

So instead of being perfectly open and forthright and transparent all the darn time, I’ve sometimes pretended that things aren’t the way they are. “Yes yes yes, SURE, I can talk!” And then I end up having to say “Sorry! Gotta go!” out of the blue and in a hurry because other obligations are pressing and I actually can’t talk.

Another of my favorite dark corners, the “What?? You emailed?” has been wrenched away without so much as a fare-thee-well with the arrival of Sidekick and Streak (“Horrifying Apps Inform People When You Open Their Email”) Now you can’t even hide behind a little white lie.

I for one do not like to be cornered but who would ever have imagined that our laptops would be force-feeding us moral fiber.

One could look at my only recourse as *timely* when it’s actually *long overdue*: drop the people-pleasing.

Coincidentally, Adrienne Weiss, the teacher of my Directing Actors Workshop, addressed this very issue the other day. People-pleasing not being an ideal character trait for a film director, with one little anecdote, she made it clear just how easy it could be to let go of this ball and chain. The essence of it is: “Stop trying to make them like you! It’s clear that they already dislike you!”

Sort of like ripping off a band-aid. Or instant death by a samurai’s sword. Definitely beats the slow, horrible alternative trying to be the most popular girl in the class all the way to the grave.