I agree with you - I didn't mean to sound overly cynical. Although I find that I do have to pretend when I'm dealing with people who are initially rude or hosti

I agree with you - I didn't mean to sound overly cynical. Although I find that I do have to pretend when I'm dealing with people who are initially rude or hostile to me. And I don't always succeed at pretending :-). But I can when I'm at my best. And over time, I can begin to genuinely appreciate their stories, too.