Tell me about that football game, that band you’ve adored since high school, that autobiography—really?—that kept you up all night.
Tell me how you negotiated a deal at the office. How you got a deal at the thrift store. Tell me how you stood your ground and got what you wanted. I want that for you, too.
Tell me stories about your coworker’s cats, your kid’s teacher, your cousin in England, your brother’s boyfriend. I don’t know them, but that’s not the point.
Tell me your favorite conspiracy theory, your alien theory, your theory about God and the Big Bang and the connections between the stars. Tell me everything you know about Galileo.
Tell me about that video game, the one I don’t play, because I don’t play video games. Tell me which character you’re playing, no, not just the name, their whole backstory, yes, I mean it.
Tell me how excited you are for pumpkin spice lattes. Or IPAs. Or avocado toast. Wax eloquent on your favorite apple variety (unless it’s Red Delicious, because—no, wait, tell me that, too).
Tell me about your published stories, your reviews, your interview requests and book signings. You deserve good things.
Tell me how the sun on your skin grounds you, how the wind lifts your heart. Tell me that the rain, for you, is nothing like tears.
Tell me how it felt to kiss that one person—you know the one I mean—for the first time, how your heart exploded in your chest. That’s what mine is doing right now, listening to you.
Mudita: the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being
Christine Hanolsy 
You and your commenters are far more generous people than I am. When I read your post (which I enjoyed) I was reminded of an old coworker who wouldn’t shut up. Everything was always me, me, me, me. It never stopped. Me!
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Now THIS is a love story!
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*hahaha* To all my friends, maybe. 🙂
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This is why stories are so great! You really give the feel of what a story is all about. Though, in truth, if your favorite apple is Red Delicious… ugh. 🙂
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I love how you lead us to the passionate response at the end. This is exactly what it’s like falling in love., not just attraction but wanting to know everything about them.
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As Michelle says, it’s about being nice. But also receptive, engaged, giving of yourself. It can be all to easy to sit there and just smile. The final sentence / stanza was the perfect conclusion.
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Oooh. I needed this today. It was a nice reminder to just be nice. That said, the structure worked really well. A few times, it started to fell like it was about to be too much tell, tell, tell, but then you’d give me one of those asides. They were perfectly placed to keep the rhythm going and keep the piece from feeling too repetitive.
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