There's a pile of clean laundry on my couch.  It's pretty big-5 loads worth.  I should do something with it.  I should.

How do you accumulate so much laundry Katie?  
You're embarrassing.  Fold your damn clothes.  

I can't.  I need to tell you about something...

I need to tell you about the Emotional Bank Account.  Do you know about it?

Yes, Katie, we ALL know about it because you freakin' talk about it all the time-my family and work friends
No, Katie, you're so wise, and we can't wait to read all about it-everyone else. 

It's from the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Basically, we all have an EBA.  Perhaps you know it as your love tank?  Your bucket?

Anyway, the deal is that if you make a withdrawl (ie: negative comment, tough conversation, etc) you need to make lots of deposits (ie: kind words, acts of service) to "fill it up."

I need everyone to know about this EBA so that if I say, "That was a withdrawl," you'll know what I'm talking about.

Here's a funny story.
Katie, you can't tell us a story is funny before you tell it.

I work with a lady. She's kinda like our work mom...if your definition of mom is the lady who yells at you each day.  ;)  "I don't yell.  I'm Italian and Irish.  That's how we talk," she'd say.  I love this woman. If I'm not diligently working on my actual job, I'm sitting in her office shootin' the shit, where everyone sits.

Anyway, we have a tendency to talk a lot of shit to each other get in disagreements from time to time.  So, one day I talk her about the EBA and the next morning I said, "Too many withdrawls, too early." The day went on and she continue to rob my bank account so I said, "I need a deposit, right now.  You're overdrafted."  She picks up a brownie I made, took a bite and said, "Did you make these?"
I said, "Yes."  She said, "Well they're not that bad.  There.  There's your deposit.  Now, shut up."  <--- She didn't say shut up.  I added it to more the story more interesting.

Perhaps I should clarify what a deposit looks and sounds like ;)

My goal is to keep things in a pretty good balance with all the people in my world.  Sometimes it's a little harder than other times, especially with my closest friends because we are honest to a fault.

However, the other day I sent a group text to some of my best gals.  Now, these are the same people who will literally rip on my clothes for a hour and not bat an eyelash, "Katie do each pair of your shorts have a sewn in cuff."
"Those are the ones they sell!"
"Yep, they sell those right next to the ones without the sewn in cuff."
The other whore best friend pipes in with, "Yes, she wears them with a button down shirt, maybe one with three buttons at the top and her cardigan."

Anyway, have I painted a clear enough picture of what bitches how honest these girls are?

But when it counts, we are all in with the deposits.  Right there with the right words to pick me up, help dust me off and get back on the horse.