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My greatest strengths are my diplomacy and ability to find the good in everyone. They’re so closely related that I thought it was okay to bind them together for the sake of this prompt.

I’m the sort of person who gets along with just about everyone. People are fascinating, and I enjoy getting to know them one-on-one or in small groups. You can learn all sorts of things about someone by quietly listening to what they do (and don’t) say about themselves, others, and the world in general.

My favourite sorts of people are the ones who love to talk but who also know how to turn the conversation back to us quieter folks after a little while. That is such a wonderful skill to possess!

If someone says something that could be interpreted in multiple ways, I’ll search for the most charitable interpretation possible and give them the benefit of the doubt. Until or unless someone gives me good reason to suspect otherwise, I assume the best of them. In my experience, that’s usually the most helpful way to approach interactions with folks you don’t know well yet.

Being kind and polite to everyone costs nothing, but it can go a long way to make social situations enjoyable for everyone.

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I should warn you all that I don’t read or watch many romantic stories, so this answer might be a little off the beaten path. I like romances about characters who respect each other’s boundaries, have realistic expectations of their romantic partners, and  know how to take no for an answer. From what I recall, this tale did a pretty good job at all of those things.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 sci-fi romance film about man who agreed to have his painful memories of his ex-girlfriend permanently erased.

In order for that to happen, he had to briefly relive all of the memories that included her beginning with the newest and most difficult ones. He was asleep during this process and has no way to communicate with the scientists who were erasing his memories.

As they worked backwards in time and he remembered happier moments with her, he changed his mind about this process.

I loved the plot just as much as I did the chemistry between the two main characters. They’d had more than their fair share of hard days together, but they’d also had some wonderful experiences as a couple.

It was cool to see a film acknowledge that most relationships generally aren’t 100% harmful or 100% helpful. (I’m not talking about toxic relationships here, just ordinary ones that might go through rough patches).

There are many shades of grey between those two extremes, and it isn’t always easy to know where the line is between a relationship that should end for the sake of everyone involved in it versus one that could be salvaged if both partners are willing to work at it.

The ending was immensely satisfying as well, although I won’t spoil it for anyone who has yet to check this film out.

Whether you’re single, in a longterm relationship, or somewhere in-between, I’d recommend this film to everyone as Valentine’s Day approaches.