Starved for Attention

We are all starved for attention here.
Everyone in my household, including the submissive urinating dog, Kelly.
I've grown so accustomed to the demands of "look at me" and "I need help on this", the words barely register.
So, when I ran into a full-grown woman who is off the charts on the "I need attention" scale, I found it simultaneously fascinating and annoying.
I was with her for one hour.  One hour.  It only seemed like a week.
Now, don't get me wrong.  I admire people who do kind things for others.  I think it's a terrific way to spend one's time.  But, after an hour (that I can never get back) spent with "Nancy Notice-me" boring us with tales of her benevolence, monopolizing the conversation, not listening to anything anyone else had to say...I found myself struggling to not roll my eyes.
To amuse myself, I actually started counting the number of times she mentioned the word "cancer." 21 times.  In an hour.  Friends, I used to work in a hospice and heard the word less times in a week than this woman spit out in an hour.  Chemo, 13.   Homeless, 9.  I started to wonder if shaving her head was more out of support for her friend with cancer, or to draw attention to herself in order to gain praise as a good person/friend.  When she couldn't make the meeting we were planning, she didn't say, "I have a prior obligation."  Nooooo.  She launched into a full-blown (and very loud) story of how she can't go because she will be working at a soup kitchen feeding the homeless. OH! And, then she will be driving her friend to chemo. OH YEAH! And, then saving baby seals from being clubbed to death.  (I might have made that last one up.)
Why did this annoy me so much?  Why?  I had to give this some thought.  This was my conclusion.  This annoyed me because I believe our motivations should be pure.  Good should be done with no expectation of reward or praise.  Otherwise, it is tarnished.
Ultimately, Needy Nancy did me a favor.  She forced me to not only look at myself but to make a vow to continue examining why I am moving in this new direction.  As a result, I have promised myself that, wherever I end up going, personally and professionally, I will keep my focus on doing the right thing for the right reasons.  (Don't roll your eyes.)