How can it not be? A thing that’s so familiar a part of you — we rant and rave about manipulating people, about guilt trips and give and take. How can you not, even without thinking about it, lean on it as a way to escape things that are hard, to gain attention, to … I’ve used mine as a reason to butt into lives that I have no business in. This morning I was using it as a crutch for my slothful sleeping habits.

Do you know what it is like without it? I don’t.