The answer came to me in a dream.

I had a dream tonight. A revelation. About being nice to people. That maybe with some people I am nice for the wrong reason/reasons. The more I think about it, the more I understand that I should be nice because everyone deserves it. And maybe I'm not being nice solely for that reason. Maybe if I am being nice just because someone asks me to be nice -- that isn't good enough. Maybe god/the spirits gave me insight in this dream. That people deserve more credit than I give them. I should apologize to some people for being nice for the wrong reason/reasons. Yes, I should be nice because people totally, completely deserve niceness from me. And hey, I'm beginning to think that's the case. And that maybe I am being nice to some people not for a reason that god/the spirits would approve. The only legitimate reason would be because in my heart of hearts I really want to be nice. That's what came to me in the dream. Otherwise, it is a fake nice. So, as time goes by, I am truly going to try to be nice to everyone. Because I consider them friends and fellow human beings. Genuine friends. And not to just go through the motions. Yes, I've been asked, "but why?" That was a good thing. Someone doing me a favor. Maybe it ignited the dream tonight. Someone reached me. By asking a simple and legitimate question. And the answer came to me in a dream. --Jim Broede