A man spoke to his doctor about a series of dreams he was having recently.
"This is going to seem silly," the man said, "but in the dreams I deal with difficult situations simply by saying, 'I'm a little guy.' As soon as I say these words, everyone seems to understand and does not bother me anymore.
"For example, in one dream I have an employee named Grady, whom I have to fire because my boss orders me to do it. Grady is a good friend of mine and I dread what I have to do. When Grady comes into my office, I say, 'I'm sorry, you're fired.' Then I say, 'I can't help it. I'm a little guy.' Grady nods at me gently as if he feels sympathy for me, and says, 'That's all right. I understand.'
"In other dreams I am wearing a sign that says, 'Little Guy.' When people see this, they treat me with great kindness. Salesclerks are polite and friendly. The butcher behind the counter gives me a good cut of steak. The dentist doesn't find anything wrong with my teeth; he even seems proud of me and does not charge me anything. When I get on the train at night somebody always give me a seat. My wife listens to my problems but does not expect me to listen to hers. My little daughter does not ask me to play with her when I'm tired. Panhandlers on the street don't bother me. In fact, sometimes they give me money."
The doctor said, "your dreams are basically normal. You're having fantasies we probably all have at times. In periods of stress, when there is a lot of responsibility on our shoulders, we want to be like little children again. We want everybody to automatically understand and be good to us and not to blame us for anything we do. Unfortunately, we can only dream about being 'little guys,' because, in real life, we have to take on things alone, and, no one is going to give us special treatment. I, for example, am now going to charge you for your visit today."
In his dreams, the man must either ____________ or deal with difficult situations.
behave himself well
find a good friend first
say that he is a little guy
listen to his wife's problems
Record your answer