Welcome back to We Can Do Hard Things. I am so grateful that you're back here.

The main reason I'm grateful is that I really love recording this podcast.

I get to have these great conversations with my favorite people on earth, Abby, Amanda,

and all of you. And I get to do it without leaving my house. That's why I became a writer,

you know. I've spoken about this to all of you before, but you know that I am a highly

sensitive introvert, okay? And so what that means is that I love people, but not in person,

okay? I feel deeply for you and for me and for the whole world. I would die for you,

but I would not like meet you for coffee, okay? The way this manifests in my life is that

I love humanity, but actual humans are tricky for me, okay? And one of the major reasons

that humans are tricky for me is what we are discussing today, okay? Abby has heard me discuss this

world problem incessantly, okay? And the problem is this every time I go out into the world,

it strikes me freshly that everyone is talking and nobody is listening to each other ever, okay?

Every circle of people who are reporting to have a conversation are actually behaving as if

they're in some kind of like ultimate fighting championship situation. It's like

all everyone is doing is interrupting each other constantly, one upping each other constantly,

waiting to talk without listening or creating these hostage situations where one person is

monopolizing the conversation, right? Babe, this is your kryptonite. Nothing actually makes you

more upset literally. I know. It's, it is, it was deeply upsetting to me, okay? And it is,

it's, it's like we as human beings really only have this one tool to connect with each other.

I mean, there's sex, but like for people, for non-intimate people, it's like we have this one tool

to, to use to feel less alone, to lighten our own burdens, to learn from each other, to get wisdom,

to learn from each other's experience, to feel useful and helpful and helped, and that tool is

...