Trust

Someone once told me, "Everyone lies." Really? I don't. Now I don't mean the, "This tofu turkey is delicious!" kind of lie. I'm talking about the broken promises kind. When I was around 12 (or 13 most likely, because that was the year my mother told everyone that she didn't think she'd survive!), I remember lying to my father about having completed a homework assignment. I didn't have the sense to cross it off in my homework assignment book - I attended a convent school, what can I say, we had homework assignment books - so when he asked to see the book, there was my lie...in ink! Yes, he was angry, and yes I was punished, but more than that, I could tell he was disappointed. I never wanted to disappoint him again. Now I realize that that goal is far fetched and can cause years of therapy, but the truth is it became a foundational character building block for me. To this day I don't want to disppoint people. I don't believe in breaking promises. I don't lie. So when someone breaks a promise to me, particularly when it's someone I trust, I'm devastated. Not only does it tell me I misjudged the character of the person but because it shows that the person has no respect for me.