People need to tell their own story

How many times has this happened to you: You're taking a shower, scrubbing with your favorite loofah, minding your own business, when suddenly a good idea hits you! "Awesome, I love good ideas!", you think, realizing you have no pen or paper to write your idea down. "Oh well, the idea is so good I'll remember it later under less soggy conditions."

Sometime later, maybe its the next day, maybe a week later, you remember having that idea. Maybe you even remember the catch phrase you thought of to help remember the entire idea. But it is at this point reality sets in, and you realize that one of the following has happened:

1. You forgot your idea


2. Your idea was incomplete and never "good" in the first place

What I'm trying to say now might be that a waterproof pen and some writing surface is a sorely needed invention for the shower.

But what my point was, was that everyone has a story to tell; even if they shy away from it or prefer to talk about other things like religion, their favorite sexual deviancy, or politics, there is a story deep down inside them about where they came from, the unique encounters they've had in their lives, and of course, lots of information about their parents and the methods of coercion they employed. They may or may not want to tell you about these things, either because they are uncomfortable with themselves, or they are uncomfortable around you, but it is better for everyone to help that person express themselves and through anecdotes convey their personality. Maybe you can do that with a well worded question, or perhaps it can be accomplished upon your excusing yourself to the bathroom.