Honesty

More on the honest comments front:
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A wonderful fellow who smoked for 1/2 a century sits in his oceanview living room upright, dying a conscious death from emphysema. He is not bitter. He is not angry. He is rather uncomfortable in spite of all the medication and cannot bear the oxygen removed even to shave him.

The smell in the home is that of decay, and death is days away, not weeks nor months.
His heels are pooling blood. His arms and legs are covered in bruises.
As I washed his arms and hands he said to me:
"I wish you wouldn't do that. They will only make more."
(He meant the bruises.)

I asked him to make sure the next Nurse or Worker massaged his feet and legs.
He gave me a puzzled look.
"Don't you get someone tonight?"
"LORD ... I hope not."

Heh, God bless honesty.
As I left I told him: "Take the rest of the day off eh."
His quick answer: "I will if the bloody Home Help ever leaves."

Not bad.

(And while you are thinking about this: take a silly online quizz.
This one hits home more than most. http://www.queendom.com/tests/minitests/fx/honesty.html)

and oh yes: my score--- (not that it would be a surprise to ANYONE who knows me)
What does your score mean?
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth: you are painfully honest in almost every situation. While honesty is a virtue, exercising it with your "no holds barred" approach can do more damage than good. You may think you're doing others a favor by leveling with them - about a terrible haircut or a gift you don't like, for example - but you could be needlessly hurting their feelings. Even the most honest people tell little white lies from time to time, especially when they know it will spare others pain. You may even put yourself at a disadvantage by shooting from the hip; confessing during the first minute of a job interview that your last boss fired you doesn't do anyone any good, does it? The secret to being honest, without trampling on others' feelings or getting yourself into sticky situations, is tact. How you deliver the news is as important as the news itself. So instead of telling your boss that her breath stinks, offer her a mint!

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What is Radical Honesty? What is Radical Honesty? Radical Honesty is a kind of communication that is direct, complete, open and expressive. Radical Honesty means you tell the people in your life what you've done or plan to do, what you think, and what you feel. It's the kind of authentic sharing that creates the possibility of love and intimacy.
The practice of Radical Honesty is based on the work and writings of Dr. Brad Blanton, a psychologist who found that the best way to reduce stress, make life work, and heal the past is to tell the truth.