Tell me why you think you are important.

“Tell me why you think you are important.”

“I think I am important because I am an individual.”

“What does that mean to you to be an individual?”

“It means there are things about me that are completely unique.”

“Do you belong to yourself?”

“I think so.”

“What makes you unique?”

“My nose, my personality, my sleeping and eating habits.”

“Anything else?”

“My spirit.”

“How does your spirit interact with the spirits around you?”

“Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes I am alone. Sometimes I write notes, make phone calls. My spirit interacts with spirits around me when we talk. When we talk for more than a half hour.”

“Why a half hour?”

“After a half hour you can’t talk about meaningless things anymore. Things like the weather, or your weekly schedule, or your basic future plans.”

“How often do you talk with another spirit for more than this time?”

“I talk with my husband often. We talk at night sometimes until it’s very late at night—into the early morning hours. This doesn’t happen all the time. Just sometimes. Sometimes I talk with my grandmother on the phone for a while, but then I’m mostly listening. It’s not as interactive. It doesn’t usually count.”

“Do you like to spend time with friends?”

“I do. I really do. I love my close friends. I love spending time with them, talking with them. We’re moving and I want to make new friends.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“No, not really. Maybe I’ll get a part time job. I’m not sure.”

“Why is that important?”

“People are important.”

“Why do you think people are important?”

“People are like me. I think I am important.”

Tell me why you think you are important.