DR. WALLACE: I'm 20 and have been away at college for a couple of years, but I do go back to my parents' home to eat dinner with them a couple times a month.

Several months ago, I noticed a new neighborhood moved in next door, and I kind of had a bad impression about her. For whatever reason, she seemed to drive her car erratically, and the few times I said hello to her, she barely responded or even glanced at me. She simply hurried inside the house.

However, the last time I went to see my parents, as soon as I came in the front door, my mother told me she was still preparing the meal and that it wouldn't be ready for a couple of hours. She said the lady next door had asked if someone could help watch her daughter for a few hours since she had something really important to do regarding her job.

Even though I didn't really want to go next door, my mother convinced me to walk over and help this lady out. Anyhow, the lady was very polite to me, apologized for asking for help on short notice, and introduced me to her very cute and smart 7-year-old daughter.

She explained that she had to attend a work function that she didn't expect she would need to attend. I told her not to worry about it, and that her daughter was in good hands. It turns out she was only gone for about an hour and a half, and when she got home, she tried to pay me. I told her it wasn't necessary, and I refused to take any money from her.

I left there with a completely different point of view regarding this lady. I couldn't believe how I viewed her from afar and how differently I felt about her after meeting her and spending time with her and her daughter. I don't really have a question, I'm simply pointing out my personal experience so that others can realize that we shouldn't prejudge anyone at any time, ever. I'm actually embarrassed at myself the way I thought about her before I got to know her. — I Was Out of Line, via email

I WAS OUT OF LINE: Congratulations on the growth you've experienced firsthand as a result of this interaction with this lady and her daughter. Not only am I proud of you that you were able to recognize and realize how wrong you were, but I'm impressed that you took the time to write a letter to me here.

Your mea culpa is heartfelt and is a great reminder to us all that we should seek to meet and understand other individuals before we ever formulate less-than-pristine opinions about them.

I HAVE STELLAR INTUITION WHEN IT COMES TO MY FRIENDS

DR. WALLACE: I'm 19 and in college, and I'm starting to realize that I'm far more intuitive than I ever imagined I could be. It's really strange; I often am able to pretty accurately figure out what is going on with my closest friends simply by their tone of voice and sometimes their facial expressions.

When things aren't right, or something is especially exciting, those are fairly easy for most people to read. However, I'm able to realize far more subtle hints and nuances with my closest friends. Several have told me that it's amazing how in tune with them I seem to be most of the time.

Do you think this is some sort of special gift that I have, or is it simply just a product of the familiarity I have with my closest friends? — I Read Them Well, via email

I READ THEM WELL: My best guess is that it's likely a bit of both. Certainly with close friends, we understand their thoughts, emotions, hopes, dreams and even fears and worries.

Your letter didn't mention if you have this ability, even to a lesser degree, with mild acquaintances or even strangers. But that aside, the fact that you can dial into your closest friends to the degree that you've outlined indicates how important to you they are. Obviously, you spend a lot of time with them and certainly communicate well with them to be able to have such a deep understanding of the nuances of their lives.

Friendship is indeed one of life's great joys, and although most of us can't profess to have the level of intuition that you experience with your close friends, we all value our close friends tremendously all the same.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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