Taking Advice

I have never been good
At taking advice.
I over-analyze, and
My skeptical instinct
Wants to know,
What is the hidden agenda,
If there is one?
Why does this person
Want me to do this?
Is this wisdom,
Passed on in love?
Of course,
It depends who it is,
What I already know
About this person,
Whether they tend to be
Selfish, self-centered,
Or self-serving.
It depends if I detect
That I am being
Manipulated
Due to someone’s hang ups,
Confusion, prejudices,
Stereotypes, obsessions,
Fears, and such.
It is more difficult,
When some of these
Is common, in dealing
With this person,
But I truly believe
They are making
An attempt to help me.
Maybe they think
They are helping me,
But I just don’t agree.
And, if I disagree,
Then what?
I don’t like offending
Other people,
Especially loved ones,
Who also tend to be
The ones that offer
Advice the most.
What a quandary!
You would think,
Now that I am
Past forty, I would
Have all this figured out.
Nope.